The Cullen Enterprise
by Amethyst Jackson
Summary: ALL HUMAN: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

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**Chapter One: Another Day, Another Dollar**

When I pulled up to the house in my truck, I thought about turning around and going for a long drive, but I knew that would be a waste of gas. We were pinching every penny these days.

I turned off the engine and let out a slow breath before I climbed out of the cab. It had been a long-ass day at Newton's, spent mainly doing inventory by myself in the back since we had about three customers all day. If it weren't for mail orders from around the area, the store would probably have been out of business a decade ago. The end result of moving around boxes all day was that I was exhausted, and I wanted nothing more than to order a pizza for dinner and go to bed, but that was not an option.

We didn't have pizza in the budget. I'd planned out each meal for the week and bought only what I needed to cook and to have healthy snacks for Charlie. Everything else went toward the bills we were horribly behind on. Even when I was exhausted, I had to cook – and if Charlie saw how tired I was, he would want to order that pizza for me. He would want me to work fewer hours.

So I climbed out of the truck and tried to put a spring in my step as I walked over to the mailbox. Inside were the usual items – three bills, one envelope from Publisher's Clearing House advertising a big jackpot prize, and one envelope addressed to me from a name I didn't recognize in Ohio.

That happened a lot lately since I'd put our story online. At first, when people had commented on my blog asking if they could send me money, I'd refused, too proud and too embarrassed to accept. Once the warnings of potential foreclosure starting coming, though, I'd given in and started giving out our address. My pride would do Charlie a fat lot of good if we lost the house.

_Fucking cancer,_ I thought, and not for the first time since Charlie got diagnosed two years ago.

_He's in remission now,_ I reminded myself. All the hard work and scrimping was worth it to have my dad recovering.

I snuck the bills and the mystery envelope into my shoulder bag and tossed the Publisher's Clearing House into the garbage can by the garage. Everyone knew you had to buy the magazines to win anything.

When I got inside, I found Charlie dozing on the couch. He was still tired all the time, though the doctor promised some energy would return soon. I hated to even think it, but it would help to have Charlie back on his feet. The cancer had forced him into early retirement from the Forks Police Department, but fortunately he still got his pension. He hadn't worked since, for obvious reasons, but any additional income would help out a lot right now, and I hoped he'd start looking for some light work soon.

I slipped upstairs to put my bag away and change from the jeans and Newton's Sporting Goods T-shirt I wore at work into a tank top and sweatpants. My bed just sat there in the middle of the room, tempting me, but I ignored it and went back downstairs.

Charlie was still asleep, so I went into the kitchen and pulled out the two chicken breasts I had already marinated this morning for tonight's dinner and placed them in the oven to cook. I started on a salad after that.

It was after six when Charlie woke up and wandered into the kitchen to investigate. I was sitting at the table by then reading Pride and Prejudice for the twelfth time while I waited for the chicken to be done. I was actually dying to read something new, but the library in town had a dismal selection and buying books, like everything, cost money.

"Smells good," Charlie commented as he reached reflexively into the fridge for a beer, only to frown when all he found was juice. He'd been doing that for about two years now. I heard him sigh, and he got out the filtered water jug instead.

"Should be ready in ten minutes or so," I told him.

"Thanks, Bells." He flopped down in his usual chair across from mine and sipped his water while I went back to my book. When the oven timer went off, I got up and got the chicken out, then laid everything out on the table. Charlie dug right in, and I picked up my fork with something less than gusto.

"How was work today?" Charlie asked eventually. He always asked, and I knew it was partly because he felt guilty that I was home supporting us instead of off at college. For his sake, I faked a smile.

"It was good, quiet. I got to work in the back today, so I didn't have to deal with so many customers," I sugarcoated it.

"Good, good," Charlie mumbled.

And that was pretty much the extent of our dinner conversation. Neither one of us did all that much these days that could foster discussion.

After dinner, I cleaned up quickly and went upstairs to shower. After putting on my PJs and drying my hair, I thought about going straight to bed but sat down at my desk instead. I turned on my computer and pulled the mail out of my bag while I waited for it to load.

The bills were first. One was the mortgage – the second mortgage, anyway; we'd taken out two – and the next two were medical bills. As usual, they were long past due and larger than I could hope to pay right now.

I set them aside and moved on to the fourth envelope. It contained a twenty-dollar bill and a note of support.

I still couldn't believe complete strangers were willing to send me money. I wanted to think I would do the same if I had the money to spare.

Wanting to put off the bills for a little longer, I turned to my computer and checked my e-mail. There were a few comment notifications from my blog, about ten spam e-mails promising cheap Viagra, and one e-mail from a name I didn't recognize with the subject, "A Helping Hand."

I deleted the junk e-mail first, then read my blog comments. They all told me to be strong, to hang in there, that the worst was over, but it was hard to be comforted with the bills staring at me from the corner of my desk.

I opened the mystery e-mail last, afraid it was some kind of scam or a virus waiting to ambush me. If my computer crashed, I'd find myself without a computer for a while.

When the e-mail loaded, I found a long missive waiting.

_Dear Bella,_

_Pardon my forwardness, but are you Miss Isabella Swan? My name is Edward Cullen, and one of my company's endeavors is a charitable foundation for families struggling with cancer. When a friend of mine showed me your blog and I saw that you were located in Washington state, I looked to see if anyone whose name might be "Bella S." had ever applied for our assistance. I found only an Isabella Swan whose circumstances seemed to match what you've described in your blog._

_If you are, in fact, the same Isabella Swan, I want to apologize first and foremost that the foundation declined to assist you. As I'm sure you know, there are many families in need and we must prioritize as best we can. Having heard your story, I would like to offer my personal assistance._

_I would like to request your permission to call you. The application you submitted to the foundation contained a telephone number, but I didn't want to use that information without your consent._

_Let me also say that I understand this e-mail is unconventional and probably somewhat disconcerting. Feel free to decline or ignore me entirely, but I promise you that I only want to help._

_Sincerely,_

_Edward Cullen_

_CEO, Cullen Enterprises_

I sat gaping at the screen for a long while. I had indeed applied to the Esme Cullen Foundation for Families Struggling with Cancer, but that had been almost six months ago, and at that point, they'd determined our case was not extreme enough to warrant financial assistance.

This had to be some kind of sick joke. Surely the CEO himself of Cullen Enterprises would have better things to do than get in touch with broke girls in Forks. The e-mail address looked legit, but e-mail addresses could be faked. The stalker guy had done it in the last Girl with the Dragon Tattoo book, after all. And if this _was_ a fake, then the person would have had to hack into the foundation's files to find my application, which meant he was definitely advanced enough to fake an e-mail.

I couldn't fathom why anyone would go to that kind of effort just to play a sick joke, though.

Frustrated, I closed the e-mail and shut down my computer. I was done thinking about this for one night.

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**A/N: I know, I know. You're wondering, "What the hell are you doing, AJ? You're supposed to be FINISHING fic, not starting new ones!" The sad truth is, I'm a Gemini. I can't help myself. **

**But the GOOD news is that Madman's Mercy 13 is with the beta, so it's not being neglected.**

**This story will be kind of like The Learning Curve in that chapters will be short and frequent...but _less_ short and _less_ frequent than with The Learning Curve. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Maybe No, Maybe So**

The next day at work, my thoughts continually returned to the strange e-mail from the supposed Edward Cullen. I hadn't yet deleted it, and I couldn't with certainty say why. It was probably just that I really wanted it to be genuine.

I was mostly left to my own devices at work, spending the majority of my day back in the stockroom again, so my thoughts had little to do but wander.

By the end of the day, I was once again exhausted, but I had resolved to do some research before bed tonight. Perhaps I could determine whether or not the e-mail was the real deal.

I made some fish for dinner that Charlie had caught the weekend before on an outing with Billy Black. That was one thing Charlie could do - help out our food budget with free fish. While we ate, I lied about having a good day again, and Charlie talked a little about the baseball game he'd watched.

After dinner, I went through my usual routine of cleaning up the kitchen, showering, and going through the bills. Only after I'd organized the bills in order of priority did I turn on my computer.

I studiously avoided my e-mail and went to Google instead. After a moment's hesitation, I typed in "Edward Cullen."

I was a little alarmed when Google offered me "Edward Cullen shirtless" as an alternative.

There was a lot to wade through about him. He was indeed the CEO of Cullen Enterprises at only 28 years of age, which I found sort of ludicrous, but apparently he'd taken over after his uncle died childless. It was a rather large company but remained privately owned, which was why the running of the company remained in family hands.

I couldn't exactly pin down what the company did, but whatever it was, they seemed to be successful.

There were a lot of press releases about the company's, and Edward's, charitable giving. My first thought was they were looking for a tax write-off, but then I saw that the Esme Cullen Foundation was named for Edward Cullen's mother.

She'd died of breast cancer five years ago.

I closed the page abruptly, feeling as though I'd just stumbled on something extremely private. Maybe it was on the internet for the world to see, but it still wasn't any of my business.

I opened up the e-mail again and read it carefully. Nothing in the message asked for any information from me. He'd only asked permission to use a phone number he apparently already had. If I said he could call me and he did, what information could he garner from talking to me that he didn't already have? As long as I was careful, it couldn't do any harm. Right?

I thought about talking to my dad about it, but then I'd have to explain what was going on...and my dad didn't even know what exactly our financial situation was. I'd done my best to hide it from him. He needed to focus on staying healthy rather than stressing about money.

But that was all the more reason to give this a shot, wasn't it? If this was a real offer from the real Edward Cullen, it could completely change our lives.

I took a deep breath and wrote a simple response:

You can call me.

I turned off the computer and got into bed. I had to be at work early in the morning, and all that debating had me exhausted. I was just reaching to turn off my bedside lamp when my phone rang.

I froze. I didn't recognize the number flashing. Could it be him already?

My hand was shaking as I picked up the small pay-as-you-go phone I'd been using.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Miss Isabella Swan?" The voice coming through the phone was kind of amazing, all warm and low and smooth like melting butter. That was the last thing I'd expected.

"Yes – um, yes, it is," I replied.

"This is Edward Cullen," the man with the honeyed voice said. "I hope you'll forgive me for contacting you in such an unconventional fashion."

"I'll admit, I wasn't quite sure what to think," I told him.

"Your story moved me, Bella – may I call you Bella?"

My name sounded disturbingly sexy in his voice. "Yes."

"When I read what you'd been through, Bella, it reminded me of what it was like when my mother was diagnosed. It's a terrible burden for a young person to bear. I had my father to help, at least, but you...you've managed this on your own, and I can't fathom how difficult it's been."

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to cry. My mother had begged me to come live with her after my dad was diagnosed, but I'd refused, and she'd settled for sending me $100 every month. It hadn't really made a dent. Other than that, I really had been on my own in this.

"Bella?"

"Yes, I'm here," I managed, gathering myself. "It's been...very difficult, but he's in remission now. That's what matters."

"And that's wonderful, Bella, it truly is. Right now, though, I think it's time for someone to help _you_ recover."

Well, that just did it. I broke down and cried like I hadn't cried since the night after my dad's first chemo treatment. Long, snuffling snot-sobs.

And Edward murmured comfortingly from the other end of the phone the entire time.

"Shh, Bella. You're okay. Please don't cry. It's all going to be all right now, I promise," he rambled, and as I calmed down, I hugged my pillow to my chest. My head and eyes hurt from crying, and I felt absolutely limp and worn out.

"Why...why me, Mr. Cullen?" I asked, a little unsure how to address him. "I mean, when I applied to the foundation, we were obviously not top priority, and I get that. There are single moms with little kids trying to fight cancer...I mean, my dad and I are better off that most people. Why would you single me out?"

Edward let out a breath, almost a sigh. "I meant it when I said that your story touched me personally. I'd like to talk about it with you in more detail in person, though. Would you be willing to meet with me?"

I stiffened, my anxieties about the mysterious e-mail resurfacing. "Um..."

"I'm sure you have reservations – I'd be more than happy to come to Forks and meet you for dinner somewhere."

I thought about his offer. He really did sound like the real deal, and what was the worst that could happen in a public place? I could just Google his photo and know whether it was really him or not.

"Not Forks," I said. "It's a small town, and everyone knows everything about everyone else here. I don't want word getting back to my dad. Do you think...would you be willing to meet me in Port Angeles?"

"I would be more than willing. May I have my secretary call you tomorrow to arrange the details?"

"Okay, sure," I agreed. My head was starting to spin.

"All right, Bella. I look forward to meeting you. Have a good night."

"Good night," I repeated, then listened to the line go dead.

I lay back in my bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was happening to my life.

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**A/N: Amazing response to the first chapter! I'm very, very excited.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

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**Chapter Three: Hot Date**

I waited anxiously the next day for my phone to ring. Mrs. Newton came back to the storeroom and found me labeling the same box three times, I was so distracted. Of course, Mrs. Newton blamed my distraction on tiredness and threatened to send me home for some rest. I buckled down and focused after that.

Around four o'clock, my phone finally buzzed in my pocket and I quickly ducked into a darker corner of the storeroom to take it.

"Hello?"

A perky voice sounded over the phone. "Hi, Bella Swan? My name is Alice, I'm Edward Cullen's administrative assistant. He asked me to call and set up a dinner appointment."

"Um, yeah, hi -"

"So, how does the Bella Italia in Port Angeles sound? Thursday at seven?"

"Yeah, that's fine -"

"Wonderful! Do you need transportation?"

"Um, no, I have a car."

"In that case, Mr. Cullen will be awaiting you at the Bella Italia - once again, that's Thursday at seven."

"Right."

"Perfect, thank you for your time, Miss Swan!"

I started to thank her in return, but she'd already hung up. I stared at my phone, wondering what had just happened. I decided to call it Hurricane Alice.

My shift went by quickly after that, and I went home and completed my usual routine of dinner, clean-up, shower, and fretting over bills. Tonight, however, I took a trip back downstairs to see Charlie.

He was in his recliner as usual, eyes half-open and trained blearily on the television screen.

"Hey, Dad?"

He looked up immediately with a smile, and it occurred to me how much older he seemed these days. My chest hurt a little just thinking about it.

"Hey, Bella. You're usually in bed by now."

"Yeah," I acknowledged. "I'm headed there soon, but I wanted to tell you that I...well, I made some plans Thursday night. Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"You know, Bella, sometimes it feels like I'm the child in this relationship. I'm glad you're going out. You should have some fun instead of taking care of your old man all the time."

"You know I don't mind," I said softly. We were getting into emotional territory, which was hard for us both.

"All the more reason why you deserve some time to yourself. Go out, have fun! I can take care of myself for a little while," he added with a wink. I laughed because he really couldn't and gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks, Dad. I'll make sure to leave dinner for you," I promised before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He blushed a little.

"All right, well...probably time to hit the hay, huh?"

I nodded. "Good night, Dad."

Once I returned to my room, I went to my computer rather than my bed. There was just one thing I wanted to do.

I pulled up Google Images and typed in "Edward Cullen." Once again, the shirtless offering came up, but I decided to hold off on that.

It was probably a wise decision. His face was overwhelming enough on its own.

He was truly a gorgeous man. The pictures I saw featured a young man with sexily tousled auburn hair wearing finely tailored suits. He could have been wearing a burlap sack for all the difference it would have made. He was simply and objectively beautiful.

I studied his face carefully. Under that mop of hair was a smooth brow, and beneath that a long, straight nose. In the pictures, his lips were generally curved in a light, slightly sardonic smile, but his green eyes held enough of kindness in them.

Then there was his body. The man could fill out a suit.

Was this epitome of masculine physical perfection really going to be waiting for me in a restaurant in Port Angeles on Thursday?

I found it sort of hard to believe.

The next few days dragged on. Even though I was insanely nervous about possibly meeting the real Edward Cullen, I was even more curious about what he would have to say, and that made the minute hand crawl.

My dad noticed how antsy I was, but he chalked it up to excitement for my night out with friends. I'd never bothered to disabuse him of the notion that I was going out with some girlfriends from high school. If he knew who I was really meeting, he would flip.

I couldn't stop myself from Googling Edward a few more times. The shirtless pictures _were_ incredibly impressive. I mean, holy pectorals, Batman. And I might have had a few dreams about Edward on the nights leading up to our meeting. Those didn't help with my nerves at all.

When the evening finally arrived, I spent a decent hour in front of my closet, trying to figure out what a girl should wear to meet a young, extremely attractive businessman who wanted to help said girl for reasons as yet unknown.

Eventually I settled on my best dress and hoped it would be good enough.

Downstairs, I found my dad snoozing on the couch again. I smiled to myself and left a note for him on the kitchen table telling him where I'd gone and what he could heat up for dinner.

I dashed out to my truck through the light drizzle that was falling and forced myself to start the engine through the fear that washed over me. Perhaps this was a mistake. Perhaps I should go back inside and forget all about the e-mail and the phone call that had gotten me into this situation.

But the promise of help was too much to be denied. If Edward could help me, it would mean security for my dad, and that was crucial for him to stay healthy.

With a deep breath and a mental shove, I turned the truck toward Port Angeles.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

**Warning: Just want to let you know that there's some in-depth talk about cancer here, specifically breast cancer, so if that's an emotional subject for you, you might want to read with caution.**

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**Chapter Four: Comparing Scars**

I knew the Bella Italia. Once upon a time, I'd had my first date there. It was surreal approaching the place now. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten in any restaurant.

When I pulled into a parking space in front of the restaurant, I saw Edward Cullen waiting for me by the door. Once again, I felt a tingle of apprehension. What if he wasn't the man he seemed? What if all that charity work was just a front? What if he planned to kidnap me and sell me into slavery, or hack my body into teeny tiny pieces?

"Surely a serial killer would have a hard time running a major company around all the slashing," I muttered to myself, and I finally climbed out of the cab of my truck. This was for Charlie, after all, and the chances of something awful happening were probably pretty low.

Edward stepped forward to meet me when he saw me coming up the walk.

"Bella?"

I gulped. "Yes."

He held out his hand as I approached, and I shook it dazedly. He was even prettier up close. Who actually looked _better_ up close?

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen," he said as he grasped my hand firmly and released it.

"Yes, I know," I blushed. "I, um, may have Googled you."

He laughed. "I don't blame you – I would have done the same in your shoes. What astounds me is that you saw the pictures and still came."

"Why?" My brow furrowed. Had I missed something crucial.

"Well," he chuckled, running a hand through his still sexily tousled hair, "There are some less than flattering pictures of me on the internet."

"What, the shirtless ones at the beach?" I blurted out. My face heated rapidly, and I hoped he didn't think I meant they were unflattering. They were more than flattering.

Edward grimaced. "Yeah, my little brother's idea of a funny joke, I'm afraid. Would you like to go in and eat?"

I nodded. Maybe if I stuffed some food in my mouth, I'd stop blurting out the first thing to pop into my head.

When we walked in, the hostess' eyes lit up like Christmas had come early. I supposed a gorgeous man in an expensive suit was really the most a waitress could ask for in a night.

The hostess gave us a corner booth tucked away from everyone else at Edward's request. She took our drink orders – I asked for water, figuring it would be the hardest thing to spike if Edward was some kind of creeper – and she left us to browse the menu.

"Have you eaten here before?" Edward asked conversationally.

"Um, yes, a while ago," I replied, staring hard at the laminated paper in front of me.

"So what's good here? I'm at a loss," he said.

I glanced up briefly. "I like the mushroom ravioli," I offered weakly.

"That does sound promising," Edward said, laying aside his menu. I felt rude staring at mine, but I was too nervous to sustain eye contact with the man. He was easily the most attractive person I'd ever seen up close, and I still wasn't sure why he'd reached out to the likes of me.

Our waitress arrived with a noticeable spring in her step and all but devoured Edward with her eyes I felt a prickle of annoyance. I mean, for all she knew, I was here on a date with the man – could I get a little respect?

"Hi," she greeted Edward warmly. "I'm Tiffany – are you ready to order? I could tell you the specials if you're interested."

"Bella, are you ready to order?" he asked. I looked away from _Tiffany_ back to Edward. At least he had good manners.

"Uh, yes. I'll have the chicken penne," I said. It was the cheapest dish I could find on the menu. I couldn't afford to splurge tonight.

"And I'll have the mushroom ravioli," Edward said smoothly, handing the waitress our menus. "I think we'd also like to start with the fried mozzarella as an appetizer."

"Sounds great," Tiffany said cheerily. "I'll have that our for you right away. Is there anything else I can get you in the meantime?"

"No, thank you," Edward sighed. Was it ridiculous that his exasperation with our waitress made me happy?

She finally left. Without my menu shield, I had nothing to do but look at Edward.

He smiled kindly. "I'm sure you have some questions for me."

"I have pretty much nothing but questions," I said honestly.

He laughed at that. "Fair enough. Okay, let me start with what I'm offering you. From what I've read, I understand that you have significant debts. I'm willing to pay them off for you. Medical bills, mortgages, credit card debt, whatever you've got."

I gaped at him. I couldn't even imagine what my life would be like without those obstacles in the way. "What's the catch?"

Edward shook his head. "No catch."

I swallowed. "Mr. Cullen...I...do you realize we have over two-hundred-thousand dollars in debt?"

"Please, call me Edward. And I do realize that, and I'm completely serious. I want to pay it for you."

I shook my head right back at him. "Why?"

Edward shrugged his broad shoulders beneath his designer suit jacket. "Why not?"

Something about that shrug irritated me. Here he was, offering me an insane amount of money, and he acted like it was nothing. That $200,000 could completely change my life, and my father's life.

"I'm serious," I huffed. "Why would you do that? Why did you pick _me_?"

He took a sip of his drink, some liquor whose name I'd never heard before. "Let me tell you my story, Bella."

"Okay," I agreed.

He took a deep breath. "When I was in my junior year of college, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her doctors all said that they'd caught it early and that she would be fine. I wanted to come home from school, but Mom made me promise to get my education. At the time, it didn't seem...dire. My dad is a doctor; he was there to give her what was essentially round-the-clock care."

The waitress came with the appetizer then, interrupting him. After Edward assured her twice that we didn't need a thing at the moment, she took the hint and left.

Edward pushed the plate toward me. "Have some," he insisted. "I didn't order them just for me."

I took one readily – they looked delicious – and stared expectantly at the man across the table. His brows were furrowed as he bit into a square of the fried mozzarella. He glanced up and his green eyes peeked through long lashes.

He let out a little sigh. "So, my mother was supposed to be fine. She had surgery to remove the cancer, which she deliberately scheduled during midterms to keep me from being there. Several weeks after the surgery, the doctors realized they hadn't gotten it all, and that it was spreading aggressively. It had metastasized to her lungs."

I gasped, and he gave me a sad, rueful smile. We both knew what metastasis meant.

"I wanted to quit school to be with her, but she wouldn't hear of it. She threatened to disown me if I dropped out. I took the maximum number of classes the next semester so I could graduate early. She was there to see that, at least."

The devastation in his eyes showed me without doubt that he'd adored his mother. He would have done anything for her.

"Anyway," Edward continued softly, "By the time I graduated, my mom had already received chemotherapy and radiation and a whole host of other treatments. Nothing seemed to help. In the end, they were resorting to experimental drugs and therapies, but it was just...not enough."

"I'm sorry," I said. I could imagine exactly what he'd been through because the same sort of thing had happened with my dad – but luck had been on his side.

"Thank you." He sipped his drink. "By the time my mother died, I'd graduated and had started working for my uncle. The hours were long and the work was challenging. I'd come home to live with my parents, but I still spent very little time with my mother. It was what she wanted, but I regret it every day. What you've done, putting your life on hold for your father, is what I wish I'd done for her. Your strength and your sacrifice should be rewarded. It's colossally unfair that you should be working yourself to the bone just to pay the bills."

I felt something wet on my cheek and realized I'd started to cry. The waitress chose that moment to bring our plates, and I hastily wiped away my tears.

"Do you understand now why I want to help you?" Edward asked once the waitress was out of earshot.

I met his intense gaze and nodded. I wasn't going to trivialize his story as not being reason enough – I wouldn't insult him that way. "I guess my next question is how you found out about me."

He smiled down at his plate as he speared up a ravioli. "There's a guy, Jasper, who works a the foundation. He keeps an eye out for local families struggling, and when he found your blog, he showed it to me. He happens to be a close friend, and he knew it would catch my interest. He also helped me dig up your application."

I bit my lip. "So do you do this...often?" If I wasn't special, that would somehow make this easier. If I wasn't the only person taking $200,000 from this man, maybe I wouldn't feel so over-privileged.

"Reach out to random strangers? No, this is a first for me."

"Oh." Even after his story, I couldn't understand why I was the one singled out. I didn't doubt that he sincerely wanted to help; I just didn't understand why I would catch his attention when so many other people had to be so much more in need.

"Would you mind if I asked you some questions, Bella?"

"Of course not." Answering some questions was the least I could do for him.

"Okay." He quickly chewed a ravioli. "How old are you, Bella?"

"Twenty," I answered easily.

He nodded. "Did you ever start college?"

I shook my head. "My dad was diagnosed before I finished high school. By the time I graduated, it was clear I wouldn't be able to leave my dad alone."

"So you wanted to go, then? Had you been accepted already?"

"Yes, I was accepted," I said, staring down at my penne. For some reason I went on, "I actually got into Stanford."

His eyes widened. "Stanford? What did your father say about that?"

My eyes stung with tears again, and I breathed deeply until they retreated. "I never told him. I knew he would want me to go, and he would be on his own dealing with cancer, and he can't even _cook_ so I don't know how he possibly could have survived it without me."

Edward leaned forward. "You are a remarkable young woman, Isabella Swan."

I had to shrug at that. "I think I did what anyone would have done in my shoes."

"Perhaps," Edward agreed. "But it _is _remarkable that you don't seem at all bitter or resentful."

"Thank you," I said softly. I couldn't think of anything else to say in that moment.

I ate a few bites of my penne while Edward looked at me contemplatively. I felt incredibly self-conscious.

"Tell me, Bella," he said finally, "If you could do anything now, what would it be?"

I stared at him. "I – I don't know. I haven't thought about it in so long. I couldn't, you know? I guess I'd like to go to school and figure out what I want to do."

Edward nodded. "And the job you have now, is it enough to support you and your father?"

"Not really," I admitted. "I mean, we've been getting by, but if a big expense came up, we'd be in trouble."

Edward continued to ask me gently probing questions as we finished our meal. I wasn't sure what his angle was, but I guessed that he wanted to know he was bestowing his generosity on people that would make the most of the opportunity.

When the waitress came again, Edward asked to see the dessert menu.

"What would you like?" Edward asked, handing it to me.

I took one glance at the prices and balked. "Um, I'm full, but thank you."

"Humor me," he insisted, and my stomach twisted in knots. I glanced over to make sure our waitress was a safe distance away.

"I, um – Edward, I can't really afford dessert right now."

Edward's eyes widened. "Isabella, really – were you under the impression for one second that you'd be paying for your dinner?"

I felt like I was in trouble, which was absurd. "Why wouldn't I pay?"

"Because I asked you to meet me here," he said sternly, "And it would be unspeakably rude of me to drag you to a restaurant of my choice and force you to pay for your own meal. Now pick a dessert."

I meekly requested the tiramisu, and he beckoned the hovering Tiffany over to place our order.

The silence while we awaited dessert was awkward, more awkward than any other part of the evening, and I sensed that Edward had more in store than he'd revealed so far.

Only when I dug into my tiramisu did he confirm my suspicions.

"So, Bella, I have one more proposition for you," he said in a forcedly casual way, and I tensed.

Here came the catch.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry, legit cliffy here. Had to be done.**

**Some Q and A now.**

**Q: How long will this story be?**

**A: Dunno. I never know until I've finished. But I'm guessing somewhere around 80k, so somewhere around 50 chapters? That's a really vague estimate.**

**Q: Can you be bribed?**

**A: Totally.**

**Q: When do we get the Regency-Era fic you promised?**

**A: Not gonna start posting until I finish Madman's Mercy, which is still fic priority numero uno.**

**Q: So you're a Gemini?**

**A: Yup. I love nothing more than a new project, and it takes me forever to finish my projects. Incidentally, my moon sign is Pisces and my rising sign is Sagittarius, so I'm a big ball of mutability. Yay! Now you know why I'm such an unreliable updater.**

* * *

**On a more serious note, I want to thank those of you who have shared your stories with me. This won't be a story primarily about dealing with cancer, but it is a huge part of the foundation, and I take it seriously. While I haven't lost a parent to cancer, I have seen it up close, specifically in my grandfather, who died of a brain tumor, and there are no words for how ugly and brutal the disease is.**

**But like I said, that won't be the primary concern of the story. The primary concern will largely be smut, so adjust your expectations accordingly.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Proposition**

"Here's the thing, Bella," Edward said, ignoring his cheesecake. "I want to offer you a job...but it's not exactly...typical."

"Just come out with it," I said, both perplexed and annoyed. He'd gone on and on about there being no strings, and now he wanted me to work for him?

He folded his hands on the table. "I want you to be...how to put it...a sort of live-in companion, I suppose," Edward said. At my skeptical expression, he went on, "It's difficult for a man in my position to date. There's no telling whether a woman is interested in me or my money, but I do get...lonely, and I have needs."

I blinked at him. Needs?

"Oh my God," I blurted out. "You want me to be like a live-in sex slave?"

Edward winced. "Slave isn't quite the word I would use."

I dropped my fork and tossed my napkin on the table. "I knew it. I knew there was a catch."

"No, Bella, wait," he said, grabbing my wrist, and for some reason, I didn't jerk away.

"My first offer is good no matter what you say to my second offer," he said lowly. "Bella, I promise you, I do sincerely want to help you and I have every intention of following through, even if you never want to lay eyes on me again. Will you please just...hear me out?"

I don't know what possessed me to sit back down. Maybe it was the odd desperation in his eyes, or maybe it was the way my skin tingled when he touched me. Whatever it was, it compelled me to slid back into the booth.

"Thank you," Edward murmured, returning to his seat across from me.

I waited for him to speak.

"So, yes," he began, sounding just a tad defensive, "I want to pay you to live with me, spend time with me, and have sex with me. I'd be willing to pay you a considerable salary...I'll purchase health insurance for you, and your days will be your own. You can go to school if you like, look for a job, whatever you want. I just want someone to come home to."

I looked at his serious face, the hard cut of his jaw and the almost boyish longing in his eyes. He really was lonely.

"I...I'm really not sure what to say."

Edward nodded. "I know, it's...an unusual request. It was very hard for me to work up the nerve to even ask you because I don't expect you to agree."

I absently ate a bite of my tiramisu, pondering what it was he wanted of me. Sex on demand? I'd only had sex a few times with my high school boyfriend. While I suspected I would enjoy sex with Edward Cullen, I couldn't fathom why _he_ would particularly enjoy sex with _me_.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked. His gaze was unwavering, and I lowered my head, letting my hair fall forward to shield me somewhat.

"I guess...I don't understand why you would want _me_ in particular to do this for you. Surely there are many other women out there, much more beautiful women, that would take that kind of offer."

"I have to admit, Bella, that the first thing I noticed when I visited your blog was your profile picture. You're beautiful. No, don't object," he said when I opened my mouth to interrupt. "You've got the kind of effortless beauty that many women would kill for. Meeting you in person, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm extremely attracted to you.

"But it's not just your body that I'm interested in. As I said, I want someone I can come home to - someone to talk to. Someone mature, thoughtful, intelligent. Someone giving. Someone precisely like you."

I couldn't deny being flattered by all that he'd said.

I tucked my hair behind my ears. "So you want me to be like...a paid girlfriend."

"Yes, that's a good way to put it," Edward said, and his roguish grin was almost enough to sell me.

"You live in Seattle, though...right?" Seattle was three hours from my father. I wasn't sure why I was even contemplating this.

"I do...and I know you're likely reluctant to be so far from him, but I could have a driver available to you any time you want to see him - or a vehicle, if you prefer to drive yourself. I'd offer to move him to Seattle too if I thought he'd be willing."

I shook my head. "He'd never leave Forks."

Edward nodded. "And if you don't want to leave him, I understand. If you think I'm an insane pervert, I understand that, too."

"I don't think you're an insane pervert," I scoffed.

Edward laughed. "That's a start, then. Have you finished with your dessert?"

"Yeah." I felt bad wasting any food, but my head was spinning too much for me to go on eating.

Edward beckoned over the waitress, who was waiting with the check. I watched Edward reach into his back pocket for his wallet and place two crisp bills into the little black folder. I thought I saw Ulysses S. Grant on one of the bills.

"No change, thank you."

"Oh, um, thanks," the girl - Tiffany - said, now downcast at her abrupt dismissal. "Thank you for coming in tonight."

I stood reluctantly. The night with Edward had been so surreal, and I wasn't ready to go back to the life I'd been living lately. Maybe that was a sign.

Edward stood and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a business card and handed it to me.

"Here, this is all my information. My personal cell is written on the back. Call me if you need anything, or if you have any questions...call when you've decided, if you would."

I nodded and tucked the card into my purse.

"I also have e-mail and fax on there. Do you have access to a scanner or a fax machine? If you send me copies of your bills, I'll begin paying them."

"Yeah - yeah, I have a scanner," I said. "I still can't believe you're doing this."

"It's something I take great pleasure in doing, Bella. Come on - I'll walk you out."

His hand settled on the small of my back, and we walked down to the street where my truck awaited.

Edward frowned looking at it. "Is this thing safe?"

I laughed. "A tank couldn't take out this truck."

"If you say so," he said, eying the faded paint and rusty edges. "Are you sure it's going to get you home?"

"Positive. She's slow, but she's reliable."

Edward looked doubtful, but he offered me a gentlemanly hand up into the cab.

"I suppose this is goodnight, Bella."

"Yeah...I guess so. Bye, Edward. And thank you for everything."

"You're welcome," he smiled, gently closing the door for me. "Drive safe," I heard him say.

I waved at him through the window, and I saw through the rear-view mirror him watching until I was out of sight.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so that's what's what. Feel free to unfollow the story as needed.**

**Some more Q and A.**

**Q: Will you be doing any EPOV?**

**A: I don't know yet, but I don't think so. If I write EPoV, I can't write discriptions of how scrummy Edward is.**

**Q: Do you have an update schedule?**

**A: I'm going to update once a day for as long as I possibly can, but I've learned to make no guarantees. I can't tell you what time of day, either.**

**Q: How can you be bribed?**

**A: Well...reviews are nice. And a super cool banner for this story couldn't hurt, either...**

* * *

**I want to say again how moved I am hearing all your stories. It really goes to show how widespread and devastating cancer is...almost everyone seems to know someone who's suffered from some kind of cancer. My heart goes out to you guys.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Dumped**

**EPoV – Two weeks earlier**

"Edward, I swear if you're calling to bail on our anniversary, we're done," Irina said unceremoniously when she answered my call.

I leaned back in my desk chair and sighed. "Irina, I warned you this was the deal when we started dating. I have responsibilities to this company. My uncle -"

"Look, I know you loved your uncle and he helped you through a lot, but he's gone now. You don't have to devote your life to his company. I'm telling you, you should go public and take a back seat on the whole thing."

I bristled at the suggestion that I ought to let my uncle's life's work be taken over by shareholders. Didn't she know the company would become a slave to profits? Didn't she care? Didn't she know me at all?

"I just can't leave tonight."

"Fine. I'll have my things out of your house tonight. Goodbye, Edward."

She hung up before I could say anything. I thought about asking Alice to send some flowers, maybe get Irina to stick around a little longer, but in the end, I was too tired to risk having the same fight again.

My last three relationships had ended this way.

I warned them all in the beginning that I was a busy man, that I probably wouldn't be what they wanted, but they promised they could handle it - and ultimately changed their minds.

They couldn't understand how devoted I was to the company, how grueling the work could be. I wasn't willing to let someone else take over. My uncle was the only person that kept me sane after my mother died. My dad had been devastated by the loss. Mom was his whole world, and he was still a shell of the man he'd been with her. Uncle Marcus had taken me under his wing and given me the distraction I needed to cope with the loss.

Now Uncle Marcus was gone, too. It was just me, my dad, my younger brother Emmett, and the company left.

Maybe it was time to just give up on relationships. My dad had found a woman he lived for, loved far beyond his career or anything else, and now that she was gone, he was barely living.

Maybe I should just avoid that potential devastation altogether.

A brisk knock at the door made me raise my head, and my assistant Alice waltzed in with a stack of folders.

"Here are the reports you wanted from Accounting," she said, sitting them on the corner of my desk. She met my eyes then and grimaced.

"Lost another one, huh?" she said with a mixture of sympathy and exasperation. "Should I send lilies? Or is this one roses?"

I shook my head. "Neither. I mean, don't bother with flowers. I'm letting this one go."

"For what it's worth, I think you're better off without her. She was a golddigger."

I didn't think a golddigger would mind my absence as much as Irina did, but it didn't warrant comment.

"Will you send out an e-mail to the department heads that we need to meet this evening? Mandatory attendance. And maybe order some food for it? And donuts. They're always less cranky with donuts."

"Sure thing, Boss," Alice grinned, right back to business. "You need more coffee?"

I smiled at that. Where would I be without Alice? "Not this time, but thank you."

About twenty minutes after Alice left, an e-mail from Jasper showed up in my inbox. Typical. They were both horrible gossips.

_Hey Edward,_

Alice said you could maybe use a diversion. See the attached link. I think you'll be impressed by this girl.

Jasper

The link went to a blogging site. I clicked on it mainly because Alice and Jasper would both be on me about it until I did something.

The page was simple with a background picture of a rocky beach and text blocks of black font over light blue background.

In the upper right corner was a picture of a doe-eyed brunette with skin like fresh cream and a shy smile.

My cock may have taken notice, too.

She was just...so beautiful and looked so pure and innocent. She might have been the thing I'd been missing my whole life.

Her profile said her name was Bella, and she lived in Forks, WA.

I started reading her words. The most recent entry talked about her dad's cancer being in remission for six months. The tone of her writing showed her incredible relief and love for her father. But there were also anxieties, mainly about money. I gathered that they'd taken a second mortgage on the house to pay medical bills. They were in dire straits, and she lived in a small town without excellent job prospects for a girl with only a high school education.

As I read further back, I learned that her father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Two surgeries and long courses of chemotherapy had driven the cancer into remission and driven them into debt.

What truly struck me about Bella was her selflessness. She'd been by her father's side through everything, venting her fears in a blog and hiding the bills from her father so that the burden would be hers alone and her father could focus on getting better.

She was everything I wished I could have been.

I wanted to help her. I knew the foundation itself wouldn't take on her case. With the cancer in remission and no underage dependents in the family, they would be low priority. But she deserved so much better.

I hit the reply button on Jasper's e-mail.

_See if she has an application._

* * *

Several days later, Jasper sent over Bella's application to the foundation, and just as I suspected, she had been turned down.

The foundation was designed in such a way that I couldn't pull any strings for her.

I'd just have to help her out personally.

I didn't take home a huge salary from the company because I simply didn't need it. My uncle had left a large inheritance to be split between me and Emmett, and we'd each had hefty trust funds in our names.

We were spoiled financially. Of course, we'd both learned the hard way that money meant shit. Not even money could cure cancer.

Here was the opportunity to do something good with what I had, though. Something that would have made Mom proud.

I hoped my altruism wasn't ruined by the fact that I'd fantasized about Bella every night since I saw her picture.

I wondered if she would agree to meet with me. I wanted to know if she was as enchanting in person as in writing. I wanted to know if she would consider casual sex.

Probably not.

Bella was the kind of girl you were supposed to court or woo or what-have-you. And there was no way she'd be able to stomach dating me. She'd get sick of the cancelled dates soon enough, and I'd lose any hope of having her.

If only I could be in a relationship with her without all the fuss.

The next day, I sent an e-mail to the address listed in her profile. I had her contact information from her application, but I wasn't 100% certain the girl on the application was the Bella on the blog.

It took her two days to reply. When my iPhone alerted me to a new e-mail that night, I was quick to check it and even quicker to act on her response.

* * *

**A/N: So, I gave in and did an EPoV because so many had mixed reactions about Edward's offer. If you're not warming up to the idea at all, I'd recommend flouncing now. This story is mostly a fun little side project for me, not something to be taken terribly seriously.**

**And yes, it's an idea that's been done so, so, so many times...but I've never read it quite to my satisfaction, which is why this is happening now.**

**Okie dokie. See you in the AM with the next BPoV.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Deliberations**

By the time I got home, Charlie was already in bed, so I didn't have to make up any lies about how my night had been. My first stop was the shower, my second stop bed. I had to be up early for work in the morning, which was probably a blessing because it would give me more time to concoct a good story for my dad. I didn't want to lie to him, but I couldn't tell him about Edward's offer – not even the innocent part of the offer. Charlie was way too proud to accept the money. _I_ would be way too proud to accept the money if I didn't have my dad to consider.

Even though I very much needed to sleep, my mind ran in circles. There was Edward...kind, generous, deadly sexy Edward. Edward who wanted to pay me to warm his bed. He wanted to pay to _have sex with me_, and I still couldn't believe it.

My initial reaction was an outright rejection of the idea. For one, there was no way I could pull off the whole sex strumpet thing. I had hardly any experience, and what experience I had was from fooling around with a boy in high school. I would be terrible, and I really didn't think I'd survive the mortification of being fired from sex slavery.

Besides, I couldn't take money for sex. My dad would flip a lid if he ever found out. And speaking of my dad, I couldn't leave him alone here in Forks and run off to Seattle. He wouldn't stay healthy long if he wasn't eating right and keeping the house clean, and he was hopelessly inept at both those things.

It was probably best if I picked up the phone tomorrow, called Edward and told him there was no way I could accept his second proposal.

But for a brief moment, I imagined what life would be like if I did accept his offer. No more working at Newton's...when Mike came home from college in a couple months, I wouldn't have to ignore his pitying looks or reject his numerous advances. And Edward had promised a considerable salary. If it was anything like his first offer, I'd be able to do so much with that money. I could eat fast food again. I could buy new books. I could replace my sneakers that were starting to fall apart. I could help out my dad, since his pension from the police department wasn't much, and I could afford tuition, maybe at U-Dub or a community college.

I tried to imagine having sex on demand with Edward. He'd basically requested that I prostitute myself, although it didn't exactly _feel _that way. Maybe it didn't seem so horrific when the potential client was gorgeous and nice and smelled really good. I had a feeling sex with him wouldn't be a hardship...unless he was into something really kinky.

But if he wanted to spank me, I wasn't sure I'd refuse.

And what was so wrong about getting paid for sex, anyway? People sold their sperm and eggs for money. People paid women to carry their babies. People got paid to do all sorts of things with their bodies, so what was the big deal about two consenting adults exchanging money for sexual gratification?

I realized I was actually justifying accepting Edward's offer, and I put an end to that line of thought. The bottom line was that Charlie needed me, and I couldn't leave him.

Eventually I fell asleep, though not before imagining Edward naked a few times. The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and went to work at Newton's.

Inventory was done, so I got to spend my day stocking and standing behind the register. I was bored out of my mind, and the day seemed to drag on much longer than usual. I kept wondering what my days would be like if I accepted Edward's offer, and it only made things worse. Having an alternative made the course I'd been on all but unbearable.

If I didn't accept Edward's offer, I had to at least find a different job.

My discontentment went home with me where I had to cook dinner. The meal last night had been so good, and the fish I'd planned to make for us tonight seemed so...fishy. Now, pizza...pizza sounded perfect.

"You know...I won't mind if you want to lay off the fish for a while," Charlie said during dinner, having clearly picked up on my mood. I felt instantly guilty.

"Food is food, right?" I said. I really tried to sound cheerful.

"I guess," he said carefully. "Well, did you have a good time last night?"

I took a drink of water. "It was a nice change of pace." I thought about the food again, and Edward, and the life he was offering me, and tried not to feel wistful about it.

"I'm glad you went out," Charlie said. "You do too much for me. Don't think I don't appreciate it, because I do more than you'll ever know, but you've put off your life long enough."

"What are you saying, Dad?"

He smiled sadly. "I'm saying I think it's time for you to let me fend for myself and do something for you. Come on, Bells, I'm not stupid. I know working at Newton's makes you miserable."

"I appreciate that, but there aren't a lot of other job prospects here in Forks," I pointed out, looking down at my plate. I was ashamed that I'd been so transparent in my misery. He shouldn't be wasting time feeling bad about me. I was the lucky one who still had her dad around.

"Then you need to get out of Forks," Charlie said pointedly.

"But you can't cook," I blurted out.

He rolled his eyes at that. "You know I did just fine before you came to live with me."

I shot him a look. "You lived off pizza and beer. There was one summer when I visited that you fed me macaroni and cheese for a week straight."

"It was what you kept asking for!" he defended.

"Because it was the only thing you could make!" I retorted.

"Isabella, I'm serious about this. I can take care of me – I want what's best for you, and it sure as hell isn't this."

My eyes stung, and I felt very much the child in that moment. "I'm scared to leave you, Dad. What if...what if it comes back?"

In a very uncharacteristic gesture, he reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "Then I'll let you know the moment I do, and you'll move your butt right back home."

"Okay," I smiled tremulously. "I'll think about it."

"Good." And then we went back to dinner as usual.

Later that night, I held my phone in my hands, debating whether or not to call Edward. I was still almost definitely probably not going to accept his offer...but I had questions.

Finally I decided to stop being a wuss and dialed.

"Bella," his lovely voice greeted me.

"Hi, Edward," I said meekly.

"I'm glad you called," he said, and somehow in his sexy tone that sounded like innuendo. "What can I do for you?"

"I have some questions. You know, about your second offer."

"Ask me anything." He sounded eager.

"Okay, well...are you going to want me to do anything..._weird_?" I asked awkwardly.

He chuckled. "Define weird."

I huffed, frustrated. He knew what 'weird' was. "You know, like whips, or nipple clamps. Nipple clamps freak me out."

He barked out a laugh at that, and I leaned back on my bed. I felt utterly silly having this conversation. Surely my ineptitude in discussions of an adult nature was proof that I should never enter into any kind of sexual agreement.

"No, Bella, I don't expect you to do anything like that. I won't deny that I want you, but if you agreed, I promise I wouldn't try to push you into anything you told me you were uncomfortable with."

"I'm not very experienced," I admitted.

"I didn't expect you to be."

I was silent. What did _that_ mean?

"It's not a bad thing, Bella. In fact, I find the prospect of educating you incredibly arousing."

I closed my eyes. The fact that he wanted to pay me for sex made no sense whatsoever. _I_ should be paying _him_.

"So...how long would you want me to do this for?"

"Why don't we begin with a month-long trial period. We'll see if this is something that works for us both. If you decide after one day or one week or whatever amount of time that you want out, I'll pay you for the month anyway. I know what I'm asking is...crazy, and incredibly selfish on my part...I just...don't have much luck with real relationships."

"I still haven't said yes," I reminded him quietly.

"I know."

I remained silent, unsure what to say next.

"There's one thing you haven't asked me," Edward said.

My brow furrowed. "What's that?"

"You haven't asked how much I would pay you."

"Oh, that." I rubbed at an old stain on my bedspread. "I'm not really comfortable talking about money."

"All right...let me make the opening offer," he said. "I don't exactly have any frame of reference for this myself, so if the amount seems low, please don't take it as an insult. Would...$25,000 per month be reasonable?"

I started to choke on my own saliva. "Twenty-five thousand? A _month_? That's..." I scrunched my eyes closed, doing some mental math. "That's three-hundred thousand a year."

"Is that too little? I'm open to negotiation. Obviously what you'd be giving me is priceless, but..."

"Um, I'm pretty sure it's too much," I snorted. "That's...I've never had more than eight-hundred dollars in my checking account at any one time."

"Again, I think nothing is too much...but my means, while extensive, are finite. Bella...are you considering this?"

"Maybe," I said, wondering when I'd gone from definitely probably not to maybe. "I'll tell you soon, okay?"

"Okay." He let out a breath. "Did you have any other questions?"

"No." I bit my lip. "I should go. I have to work again tomorrow."

"Very well," he said. "Good night, Bella. I'm glad you called."

"Goodnight, Edward." After I hung up the phone, I stared up at the ceiling for a long time. Twenty. Five. Thousand. Dollars. And he'd give it to me even if I only lasted one day. If I did last the month...well, that kind of money could pay for live-in care for Charlie while I was gone. I could hire him a freaking housekeeper. I could get a new car that didn't go through gas like it was water.

And I could have sex with Edward Cullen.

In that moment, I knew I was going to say yes.

I dialed Edward back before I could chicken out.

"Bella?" His voice was anxious. Perhaps he knew I had an answer for him.

"Edward...I'll do it."

* * *

**A/N: I would just like to say that the lovely graphic for this story here on FFN is by ange de l'aube, and it's beautiful. The wonderful Jennmc made me a banner as well, and I'm going to be tacking on when I announce updates on Twitter since...that's pretty much the only place I announce updates. (My twitter is amethystjackson.)**

**Q & A time.**

**Q: Will this story be angsty?**

**A: Good God, no. I fail at angst. And yes, it will have a HEA.**

**Q: How old are Edward and Bella?**

**A: 28 and 20.**

**Q: Edward runs...what?**

**A: Edward runs a company called Cullen Enterprises (title makes sense now) and the Esme Cullen Foundation is separate, and run by Jasper.**

**I think that's all of them.**

**Since I got bribed with not one but two banners, btw, I'm going to try to post two chapters today and two tomorrow.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

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**Chapter Eight: Forward**

Edward and I agreed that I would move in two weeks and a few days later on a Saturday. That would give me time to give notice at Newton's and come up with something to tell my dad. When he'd said I should start living for me, I didn't think he'd expected me to do it in two weeks.

Explaining the bills suddenly being paid was the easy part. It was only a little fib to say that the Cullen Foundation had paid our debts. So it wasn't strictly true...it was still a matter of charity that technically had nothing to do with me moving to Seattle.

As for explaining my new "job," I was going to tell Charlie I'd gotten a job at Cullen Enterprises, which was also not totally a lie, and I could say I found their career opportunities while I was applying to the Esme Cullen Foundation.

The hardest part would be breaking the news.

At the end of the next work day, I went tentatively to the back office.

"Um...Mrs. Newton? Can I talk to you about something?"

She looked up and pushed her enormous glasses back up her nose. Those spectacles looked like they'd seen the fall of the Berlin Wall.

"Of course, Bella, come on in. Have a seat," she said, then realized the only other seat was covered in paperwork and quickly started clearing it off. It took a minute, but I was finally able to sit. Mrs. Newton looked at me expectantly.

"Well...I'm not sure exactly how you're supposed to do this," I said. "I need to give my two weeks' notice."

Mrs. Newton's face fell. "Oh. Well, I can't deny that we'll miss you, Bella, but I guess I always knew you wouldn't be sticking around forever. It's not because of your father, is it? Is he okay?"

"Oh, no, he's great," I said hurriedly. "I actually applied for a job in Seattle, and I've decided to take it."

"Congratulations, Bella." She reached over and patted my hand. "I'm very happy for you. I'll have to let Michael know you're going to be in Seattle. He'll be _so_ excited."

I forced a smile. Mike Newton, looking me up in Seattle. Just what I wanted.

When I went home, I knew I had to tell Charlie right away before he heard it through the Forks grapevine. Still, I waited until after dinner when a basketball game Charlie wanted to watch was set to start. I hoped he wouldn't press for details if he was eager to focus on the TV.

"So...Dad, I have some good news," I told him, perching on the edge of the couch.

He glanced my way. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. There are two things, actually. The first is...I applied to this group called the Esme Cullen Foundation. They help families here in Washington that have been impacted by cancer...and they picked us to help. They're going to pay off our debt."

Charlie's head whipped toward me at that. "What?"

"They're going to pay off our debt. The medical bills and the second mortgage and everything."

His brows furrowed and his upper lip twitched beneath his mustache. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I already accepted. It's in the works right now. And I don't want to hear one word about it."

"I'm still your father, you know," he said sternly.

"Mmmhmm. And if you're too proud to accept some much-needed help when it's offered, you're just plain stupid."

"I guess I should be happy, especially now that the burden's off your shoulders," he admitted begrudgingly. "What's the other news?"

"I got offered a new job," I told him.

This made his eyes light up. "Really? Where?"

I bit my lip. "It's in Seattle. For Cullen Enterprises."

Charlie scratched his head. "Seattle?"

"Yeah. I know it's sudden, but I just got offered the job last night, and you were saying I should branch out on my own and everything..."

Charlie let out a sigh. "I did say that. Seattle, though...it's three hours away. If you needed me, I might not be able to get to you. What if your truck breaks down? Are you going to be afford to live in a safe area?"

"I'm getting all the details worked out still...but so far, it looks like my pay is going to be pretty generous."

That was laughable. My salary would make a lot of grown men weep with joy.

"Well...it's your choice, of course. Just be careful, Bella."

I heard the whistle blow for the tip-off on the basketball game, and as soon as Charlie's eyes turned to the TV, I knew I'd succeeded.

Now I just had moving in with Edward to worry about. Sleeping in his bed. Having sex with him. Naked.

Suddenly I felt a little pale. I might need to do some research before we got started.

* * *

**A/N: So...second update of the day is very short. I'm sorry. But I had to get the boring stuff out of the way so that tomorrow, we can move in with Edward!**

**More Q&A!**

**Q: Will there be babies?**

**A: Dear God, no.**

**Q: Have you ever snorted a grape creamsicle?**

**A: Can't say that I have. Wink.**

**Q: What did Edward mean when he said his finances were finite?**

**A: Well, my Edward is very rich indeed, but he's not a billionaire. If Bella had asked for an exorbitant amount of money (more exorbitant than he offered, anyway) he might not have been able to pay it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Moving House**

"Are you sure you've got everything you need?" Charlie fretted as I strapped down the boxes in the bed of my truck. I had to put a tarp over them too because, as usual, it was raining.

"I'm sure, Dad. The place I'll be living is fully furnished," I reassured him not for the first time. He'd been throwing out random questions ever since I told him I'd be moving. _How close are you living to a hospital? Are there smoke alarms? What if you get lost? Do you still have some pepper spray?_

True to his word, though, Charlie was letting me go.

"Drive carefully," he said, taking a moment to eye my tires. "And call me as soon as you're moved in."

"I will, I promise."

He pulled me into a very tight, very awkward hugs, and the tears began. After fighting so long for my dad, it was hard to leave. I wasn't sure I knew how to live for myself.

"Okay, best get on the road," Charlie urged, clearing his throat. "Don't want to get there late."

I nodded. "I'll call when I get there, and I'll be home every Sunday," I reminded him. That was the one request I'd made of Edward, and he'd granted it readily.

I climbed into the truck and started it up, waving to Charlie once more as I backed into the road.

The drive to Seattle felt endless. I had to stop a few times to refuel my gas-guzzler of a vehicle, and I admittedly did get lost for a bit trying to navigate my way through the Seattle suburbs, but I eventually found Edward's home.

It wasn't what I'd expected.

The property the house stood on was quite large, very scenic and rather isolated. The house itself, however, was quite tidy. It wasn't small, but it wasn't the sprawling mansion I'd been expecting. It had three stories, as far as I could tell, constructed in a pseudo-Victorian style that I found rather welcoming. There was even a wrap-around porch on the ground floor.

I loved it.

When I reached the end of the driveway, Edward came bounding out the front door. Unlike during our dinner in Port Angeles, Edward was dressed casually today in jeans and a long-sleeved, knit grey shirt that hugged his chest and shoulders.

The thought that I would soon see him naked flashed through my mind, and I nearly faceplanted on the concrete as I stepped out of my truck.

"Hello again, Bella," he said with a warm smile. "Did you have any trouble finding the place?"

I shook my head dumbly and watched Edward pull the tarp off my boxes. When his arms and back flexed, I got a little tingly, and it took me a moment to snap out of it and help him.

"I went ahead and set up a room for you," he said, hefting a box into his arms. "I'd like you to share my bedroom...but I thought you might want to have your own space in the house."

"I...thank you," I said. His consideration touched me. I mean, for the kind of money he was paying, I'd be happy with a cupboard under the stairs, but here he was, trying to make me comfortable.

I picked up a box too and followed Edward inside. A brief glance around showed a foyer with a small table where a set of keys and a wallet rested. Before I could get a look at any other rooms on the main floor, Edward led me up a flight of stairs and down a short hallway.

The room we walked into was a thing of beauty. Large, multi-paned windows flooded the room with sunlight. One of them even had a window seat. The floor was covered in thick, pale green carpet. Against one wall was a double bed covered in a white bedspread with green and gold embroidery. And against the one windowless wall stood an enormous bookshelf next to a door which I assumed was the closet. The room also featured a desk, a dresser, and two nightstands all in the same cherry-stained wood.

"Oh, wow," I gasped. I set my box carefully on the floor, still gaping at my surroundings.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked uncertainly, setting down his box next to mine. "I wasn't sure what colors you might like...my assistant Alice bought everything."

I shook my head at him. "It's perfect, but you didn't have to do this. You've been more than generous already."

"I want you to feel at home here. Besides, you can't really put a price on companionship, can you?"

I wasn't sure just what he included in his definition of companionship, but I supposed he had a point.

"I'm still grateful," I told him, and he gave me a smile that showed just a hint of a dimple in his left cheek.

"Let's get all your things brought in, shall we? Then you can settle in and I can give you the grand tour."

I agreed, and we toted all my boxes to my room in just a few trips. I didn't have much - just clothes, a few pairs of shoes, my books, some mementos, and towels and toiletries. I'd decided that once Edward paid me, I might splurge on a laptop computer, and maybe a real cellphone with a plan and everything.

And a gently used car, maybe. I wasn't sure my truck could survive many trips to Forks and back, and it would certainly go faster in a car that could handle something over fifty miles per hour.

After all the boxes were inside and I'd pulled my truck into Edward's garage, which already held two very shiny cars, he took me around the house.

The main floor of the house was very open, split only into three large rooms and a tiny half-bathroom tucked away off the foyer. The kitchen held sparkling new appliances, a large island with granite countertops, and a tidy little table for casual eating. Off the kitchen was a spacious dining room with an exquisitely carved mahogany table as well as french doors that opened onto the veranda.

The living room was a little slice of heaven. Edward's furniture was plush and puffy and so comfortable I wasn't sure how he ever left the house. He had the typical gadgets that men seemed to love, like a flat-screen TV that would make Charlie drool and a sound system I didn't have any hope of learning to operate. There were also bookshelves, though, and a cozy fireplace, and paintings and photographs on the wall.

The second floor held my room, a large bathroom with a big tub, a couple guest rooms and a music room that housed a grand piano.

When Edward told me he played, I had to work very hard not to shout at him for being inhumanly perfect and making the rest of us look bad.

The third floor was smaller, housing only the master bedroom and bathroom and Edward's home office.

"Why put your office on the top floor?" I wondered when he showed me the room.

"I did have it on the second floor," he admitted, "But I work late into the night sometimes, and I find it hard to climb stairs when I'm particularly exhausted."

"Touche," I mumbled, wondering why he wanted me sleeping in his bed if he was just going to wander in late every night and pass out.

Edward guided me across the hall. "This is my room. Well, yours too now, really."

My first thought was that his bed looked bigger than my room back home. He could charge rent for sleeping in that thing.

The second thing I noticed was that his room was actually really nice for a man's. The bed was made up and the room was very well decorated. The bed's head- and footboard featured the same wood and stain as the furniture in the room he'd given me, though this room was done in blue and grey hues. There was something very soothing about it.

"The closet is over here, if you want to put your clothes away here...or you can put them in your room. Whichever you prefer. And I cleared space in the dresser for you, too. The bathroom is through that door..." He trailed off and shrugged. "That's pretty much everything."

I nodded and took one last look around. "Do you mind if I go call my dad? I promised I'd let him know once I was moved in..."

"Of course I don't mind. Go ahead and settle in - unpack, take a nap, take a bath. Whatever you want."

"Okay."

"I'll start making dinner around six, but if you need me before then, I'll probably be in my office."

"Okay," I said again, feeling a little lost. "I'll see you later."

I went down to my room and shut the door behind me. Before I allowed myself to think too hard about the situation, I called Charlie. Once I described the neighborhood to him, he seemed satisfied. Of course, he didn't know I was living with anyone, and he definitely didn't know what I'd be doing here.

He thought I'd been hired as a personal assistant. In a very loose sense of the term, it was true.

I would be assisting Edward, and it was very personal.

When I hung up, I looked around my new space. As beautiful as it was, it was horribly foreign. As much as I loved Edward's whole house, it wasn't home yet.

And I wasn't sure it ever would be if Edward spent all his time working and I spent all my time waiting to be summoned.

In the end, I decided not to unpack anything but the essentials yet, and I took a soak in the giant bathtub instead.

* * *

**A/N: First chapter of the day. Second will come tonight.**

**Q: What time zone are you in?**

**A: US Central.**

**Q: Why would you snort a grape creamsicle?**

**A: I'm gonna call that one an inside joke.**

**Q: When you say no babies, do you mean no babies ever?**

**A: Probably. I'm not much into writing about the marriage and baby business.**

**Those are all the questions I can remember right now. Sorry if I missed one.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Playing House**

Somehow I managed to keep myself occupied until six, and then I meandered down to the kitchen. I could hear Edward chopping something before I reached the room.

"Can I help?" I asked, sliding onto one of the stools at the counter island.

"Thanks, but I've nearly finished," he said with a quick smile my way. He was putting together a salad. "I had everything ready to go."

"Oh." I felt a bit deflated. I thought I might have been able to do more to earn my salary in the kitchen.

"I thought you might want a break from cooking," Edward said, dumping a pile of sliced carrots onto the salad. "You've been doing a lot of that lately, haven't you?"

I nodded. "It was the most cost-efficient way to eat. Plus, I had to make sure my dad ate healthy. He's kind of hopeless. I spent the past week cooking extra to put in the freezer for him."

"If you don't mind me asking...what made you decide you could leave him?"

I looked out the window to the expansive backyard. I hadn't noticed before, but it looked like Edward had a greenhouse out there. "It was him, really. He told me it was time for me to move forward with my life now that he was in remission."

Now finished with the salad, Edward sat down on the stool next to mine. He was close enough for me to feel his body heat, and was it actually possible that he looked sexier in profile?

"So you decided to do something different with your life. What made you decide to take my offer?"

It was hard to meet his eyes. How could I explain what had gone through my mind in that moment? How could I explain that as much as the money had tempted me, the prospect of having his body had tempted me more? Would he even believe me if I told him the truth?

"I guess...I guess I just wanted to experience something new," I told him. "Your offer meant I'd be able to do that without having to worry so much about my dad. I mean, I'll be able to go home to him every weekend and I can afford to buy him healthy food and maybe pay someone to clean his house."

Edward reached up and brushed the hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. His fingers on my cheek gave me chills in the good way. "I want you to be happy here."

"You've spent a lot of time asking about me," I said. His steady gaze held mine. "Why did you ask me to do this?"

He smiled ruefully. "As I told you in Port Angeles, I'm lonely. I don't have great success with relationships. I'd like just for a little while to be able to put in a long day's work and still know someone will be waiting for me at home."

I thought there had to be more to it than that, but the loneliness and longing was clear in his expression. My heart ached with pity for him. Here he was with all the money he could hope for, generous and genuine, and yet it couldn't give him the things he wanted the most.

"I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be happy here," I told him.

Edward opened his mouth to reply, but the oven timer chose that moment to go off, and he hastened off to take out dinner.

"Holy crow," I said when he placed the pan on the counter. "You made lasagna?"

Edward rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it's not exactly from scratch. I'm not much of a cook."

"Well, it looks great."

Edward handed me a plate, and we dished up our salad and lasagna and took them to the kitchen table. He offered me a variety of things to drink, including wine, but my dad had been hammering the perils of underage drinking into my head long enough for me to opt for a Coke.

When we were seated across from one another, I decided it was time for me to do more to get to know Edward. This was only going to work when he stopped being a stranger to me.

"So, what does your company do, exactly?" I asked him. "The stuff I read was pretty vague and had a lot of investment mumbo-jumbo that I didn't understand."

Edward laughed at that. "Investment mumbo-jumbo is kind of what we do. Basically, my uncle started the company when he bought out a small business that was threatening to go bankrupt. He turned it around and got it making money again, then sold it for a big profit. And then he did it again, and again, and over time that became Cullen Enterprises."

I pushed around my lasagna. "But how do you 'turn it around?'"

Edward swallowed the bit of lasagna he'd been chewing. "We find inefficiencies. Things that aren't working like they should, things that are costing needless money."

I felt a little nauseous. "So by inefficiencies, do you mean like...employees? People who aren't pulling their weight or whatever?"

Edward scowled, and I feared I'd offended him. "A lot of companies in our business do that. They break up companies and lay off huge numbers of employees and make a massive profit...but my uncle was committed to doing it differently, and so am I. We always look for ways to turn a business around without firing anyone. Now, sometimes there's someone who really isn't doing a good job, and we have to address that, but generally, we try to find ways for every employee to put their talents to use and streamline the processes that might be holding them back."

"Wow." Here I'd been thinking the worst, and he was actually a job-saver. "That's really...cool, actually," I said lamely.

Edward smiled. "My uncle Marcus was very passionate about his work. I guess it rubbed off on me."

"You were really close to him, weren't you?"

Edward nodded. "He didn't have any children of his own...he treated me like a son. And after my mom died, it was easier to talk to him than anyone else. My dad was completely devastated when he lost her, and Emmett was just a kid. He was barely out of high school when she died."

"I'm glad you had your uncle...though it must have been terrible to lose him, too," I sympathized.

"It was...but it brought things into focus, too. I became more serious about what I wanted to do in life, who I wanted to be."

There was a steely conviction in his eyes that moved me...and kind of turned me on a little.

"What do you do for fun?" I asked him, mostly to distract myself. I tried to focus on my lasagna lest I become so engrossed with Edward that I forgot to eat entirely.

He had to think about it. "I read. I like seeing live music. And I admit that sometimes I play stupid video games, especially when I should be working."

I laughed at that. "I can't imagine you playing video games."

His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. "I'm sure you'll witness it for yourself one day."

I asked him what he liked to read next, and that conversation took us through the rest of dinner. After we'd cleaned up the plates and stashed the leftovers – I put the rest of the lasagna in the freezer to take to Charlie next weekend – I asked Edward about the greenhouse.

"Would you like to see it?" he asked, and I readily agreed.

We walked across the backyard. The back deck led down to a large patio with a grill and a table with an umbrella and there was a covered circle that looked suspiciously like a hot tub, but beyond the patio was nothing but grass until we reached the greenhouse, which was right up against the fence bordering the yard.

"Why do you have this?" I asked as we walked inside.

"My mother loved to garden," he said simply. "She used to grow her own herbs, and our house was always full of fresh flowers. I thought I'd try my hand at it, but I don't have the patience. I kill everything."

He had a point. There weren't a lot of live plants in the greenhouse. A tomato plant was managing to hang in there.

"Maybe I could give it a try," I mused. Perhaps I could fill Edward's house with flowers for him...and if not, maybe I could at least take Charlie some fresh tomatoes. He loved tomatoes.

"It would be nice to see someone making use of it," Edward said, looking around wistfully. He turned toward me and touched my hair again, managing to graze his fingers along my neck. "I'm not sure if I've said as much, Bella, but I'm very glad you're here."

I swallowed. He was looking at me like we were in a movie and a kiss was imminent. My heart was pounding, and I knew without a doubt that I wanted him to kiss me.

"I'm glad I'm here, too," I whispered.

Then he did it. He leaned in, cupping my cheek in his hand, and pressed his warm, dry lips to mine. My lips tingled at the light touch, and the soft breath he released tickled my nose. I opened my mouth to his, enjoying the sweet brush of our lips and the wet sweep of his tongue against mine. I felt the kiss in my chest, causing my heart to clench, and in my knees, weakening them, and in my sex, striking a spark that I suspected could easily kindle a fire.

He pulled away, and I could hear my pulse thudding in my ears. My face was flushed, and all I could say was, "Wow."

"Wow," Edward agreed, and he kissed me again.

* * *

**A/N: Wooo, I got the second one in on the same day with 45 minutes to spare (in Central Time, anyway).**

**I'll do more Q&A tomorrow. Tonight, I'm a-goin' to bed.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Taking It Easy**

The next thing I knew, Edward had pinned me to the greenhouse wall and was kissing the daylights out of me. I'd never been kissed like this before, and his hunger ignited an equal response within me.

His body pressed flush against mine. His thigh wedged between my legs, right up against my sex, and my breasts were mashed against his chest. I sucked on his bottom lip like my life depended on it and ground my hips absently against him. Our jeans kept me from finding much friction, and my sound of frustration made Edward pull away from me.

"It's getting dark. We should go inside." His voice was raspy, his lips reddened from kissing. I glanced up and saw that the sky had turned a deep, dark blue.

Edward took me by the hand, and I let him lead me back into the house. We stopped in the living room where we stood staring awkwardly at one another.

"What do you usually do on a Saturday night?" Edward asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

I snorted. "Come home from work, cook dinner, eat dinner, clean up dinner, shower, deal with the bills, and sleep. What do you usually do?"

"Come home from work, have dinner, work a little more, watch some TV and sleep," he said with a wry grin.

I laughed. "Maybe we should start a new tradition?"

"Movie?" he suggested.

I agreed, and we took our places at each end of the extremely comfortable couch. Edward found a new movie starting on HBO that we both wanted to see, and we settled in to watch.

Less than halfway through the movie, my eyes began to droop. A long yawn escaped me, and Edward looked my way.

"Are you tired?"

"I'm not used to being up this late," I said sheepishly.

"Do you want to go to bed?"

I hesitated. I wasn't sure what his idea of us 'going to bed' was, and his green eyes gave away nothing. After what happened in the greenhouse, I couldn't deny wanting something more tonight, but I wasn't sure what exactly he expected from me.

"Yeah, I'm ready for bed," I said eventually.

Edward turned off the TV. "I'll lock up down here and meet you upstairs, okay?"

"Okay." I was a bundle of nerves going up the stairs. I stopped on the second floor to change into my pajamas - the nice ones - and grabbed my toothbrush. I wasn't sure what else I would need, so I gave up and went upstairs. Edward wasn't there yet. I went into the bathroom and started brushing my teeth.

When I came out of the bathroom, Edward was by the clothes hamper, and he was in the middle of taking off his jeans. His shirt was already off.

Dear God in heaven. He had the most beautiful body of any man who'd ever lived.

Edward glanced up and caught my stare as he stepped out of his pants. He'd already shed his socks, leaving him standing before me in nothing but boxer-briefs.

The man should be an underwear model. How was it possible to have abs like that in real life? And why did the sight of his happy trail do such wicked things to me?

I could feel his eyes on me as I ogled him, but I couldn't look away...especially not when I realized he was getting hard. For me, no less.

"Bella?"

When I looked up at his face, I knew I had to be flushed a bright red. I couldn't meet his eyes. "Yeah?"

"I don't expect anything to happen tonight," he said, drawing closer. "I know we talked about sex, but...we can ease into that."

My first reaction was disappointment. I should have been relieved, but I wasn't. I'd been counting on him to initiate things...maybe even looking forward to it...and now he was putting it back on me, offering to go at my pace.

The longer we waited, the more nervous I would be.

He was standing close now, watching my face with concern, and I knew I had to be brave now if we were ever going to move forward with this...arrangement.

I placed my hands on his shoulders, my palms tingling as I touched his warm skin, and I stretched up on tiptoes to kiss him. His soft lips moved readily against mine, and I locked my hands behind his neck to hold him to me while I slipped my tongue out to taste him. His hands settled on my hips and gripped tightly.

I pressed my body against his and pulled away just far enough to speak.

"I don't want to ease into it."

His breath hitched, a soft puff of air against my lips, and his voice was low and husky when he responded, "I promise you won't regret it."

I was going to hold him to that.

Edward guided me back toward the bed, growing bolder now that he had my acquiescence. His fingers found the hem of my silky tank top and pulled it slowly up my body and over my head. My previous sexual experiences hadn't exactly left me confident being bare before another person, but I fought the desire to cover myself and let Edward's eyes focus on my breasts. He made a soft noise of approval, and I looked down to see that he'd grown fully hard beneath his boxers.

Edward grazed his fingers over my breasts but didn't linger, instead running his hand down my stomach to the shorts that matched my now missing top. With a gentle push from Edward, the shorts found themselves on the floor and I found myself only in my panties.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Edward asked, running his index finger over the lace border atop my panties. His eyes held a hunger that I'd seen earlier in the greenhouse, a hunger that I'd never seen from a man looking at me before. All my life, I'd been just Bella, a plain quiet girl who worked hard and took care of her parents. Edward looked at me like I was a woman, someone to be pursued and desired, and that was something I hadn't even known I'd been missing.

"I'm ready," I promised.

With another push, my panties hit the floor and I stood naked in front of Edward Cullen. He looked me up and down and his tongue flicked out to wet his lips.

"You're gorgeous, Bella. Do you know that?"

I shook my head. I'd never known that.

"Oh, Bella." He shook his head, looking straight into my eyes in a way that somehow made me feel _more _naked. "Get on the bed."

When he said it like that, all direct and confident, I had to obey. Once I was reclining against the pillows, trying to be comfortable when every possible position left me exposed, Edward took off his boxes and gave me my first view of his fully naked body.

Broad shoulders. Strong legs. Lean muscle. Perfect cock.

I had a feeling my prior experiences hadn't prepared me at all for him.

He climbed onto the bed, moving gracefully over me, and gently nudged my knees apart. When our faces were level, he kissed my lips softly and slowly until I clenched my hands in his hair and forced him to deepen the kiss.

His tongue tangled with mine briefly before he broke away to run his lips along my jaw. He nipped at my earlobe and trailed wet kisses down my neck. The contact with sensitive skin sent the good kind of shivers down my spine and built on that spark that began with our first kiss earlier.

Edward nuzzled the crook of my neck and moved lower, skimming his lips over the crests of my breasts. I watched his lips close around a nipple and his jaw flex as he sucked it into his mouth.

The sharp, wet tug sent a bolt of pleasure straight to my sex. I tried to tell him I liked it, but it came out as a moan.

He seemed to understand anyway.

I gave into feeling, letting Edward show me just what my body was capable of. When his fingers found my sex, I realized no one had ever _truly_ touched me before.

It was amazing.

At first he explored gently, but once his thumb pressed down on my clit, he didn't let up again, and once his two fingers reached my entrance, they didn't hesitate.

It took him less than a minute. At the insistent thrust of his fingers and his swiftly circling thumb, I came. It was easily the best orgasm I'd ever had. As my sex pulsed with wave after wave of pleasure, I writhed on the bed and moaned like a freaking porn star, and I couldn't have helped it if I wanted to.

"God, look at you," Edward murmured as he brought me down safely from the heights of pleasure. "That sated expression...that lovely pink flush across your skin. You were made for this. I can't tell you how badly I want you right now."

He couldn't tell me, but his body could. Between his legs, his cock stood fully erect, long and thick, swollen with an arousal that only I could sate. Was it wrong for me to want this as badly as I did?

It didn't feel wrong.

"If you want me," I told him, wetting my dry lips, "Then take me."

* * *

**A/N: Oooh, that Amethyst is one cockblocking bitch. So technically I failed to update on Saturday...so sorry. It's difficult for me to focus on fic when I'm at home and can do whatever I want...**

**Q&A time.**

**Q: Is it wrong that I would have wanted to eat Edward's cheesecake? (from ch 5)**

**A: No. If he'd asked me to be his personal sex kitten over dessert, I probably would have said to throw in the cheesecake and he'd have a deal.**

**Q: Are you more a vegetable or fruit kind of person?**

**A: Fruit. I never did learn to eat my veggies.**

**Q: What about birth control? AIDS/STD testing?**

**A: Will be addressed next chapter, promise.**

**Q: How much of this is going to be about sex?**

**A: ...A lot of it. I like exploring the impact of sex in developing a relationship (which is why I wanted to attempt this premise so badly).**

**Q: When you say you're not into marriage and babies, does that mean it won't be a HEA?**

**A: I guess that depends on how you define a HEA. If HEA = marriage and children for you, then I can't guarantee I'll get that far, but it will end happily.**

**Q: Where in the central zone do you live?**

**A: Kansas. Yay.**

**Okay, guys, see you tomorrow.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Revelations**

Edward reached into the top drawer of his nightstand to get out a condom, as discussed. The night I'd accepted his offer, we'd talked about birth control. I'd started the pill about a week ago, and until that had time to work and until we could both get tested, we'd be using condoms.

I'd never had sex without a condom before, but Edward seemed to think it made a difference.

I watched him put it on, and then our eyes met. He swallowed, causing his jaw to flex. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," I said softly. He looked so beautiful above me. I couldn't believe it was wrong to want this. It felt really, really right.

He lowered his head and caught my bottom lip between his, kissing me slowly. I closed my eyes as his body lowered against mine. Edward hooked his arms beneath my knees, drawing me open to him, and I felt the head of his cock press against my entrance.

"Oh," I gasped as he slid in.

"Fuck," he cursed, pressing his forehead to mine. "You haven't done this in a while, have you?"

I shook my head. He was big, and I felt full almost to the point of pain – but goddamn, I felt _full_. It had never been like that before, and my body knew instinctively that this was what it wanted – this was what would feel good.

"Fuck," he said again and kissed me hard. "I'll try to be gentle, but -"

"Just go," I told him, putting my arms around him, placing my palms on his warm, smooth skin. "I want you."

Edward groaned and dropped his head to my shoulder as he began to gradually thrust in and out. His hips rocked against mine, my body struggling to adjust with every advance and withdrawal. The friction was powerful, almost a burning sensation, but he hit a place within me that I hadn't even known existed. Every thrust stoked the fire higher.

I didn't think I could come again, but I didn't care, either. The real magic of this moment was watching him. He was so beautiful with his brow furrowed, his expression utterly focused. All his attention in that moment centered on me, on the pleasure my body gave him. I ran my hands through his silky, reddish hair that made a stark contrast with my skin, and I raised my hips, ready to give him more.

His thrusts grew ever more forceful, urgent, and I loved the sounds of his moans near my ear as he moved closer to release.

My pleasure in the act suddenly began to escalate, and I realized with disbelief that he _was_ going to make me come again.

"Edward," I whimpered.

He kissed my neck. "Yeah, baby?"

Baby. The way he said it made me feel hot all over...or maybe that was the impending orgasm.

"Harder."

He groaned and moved freely against me, hips slapping with every thrust, and my orgasm built so rapidly that I didn't have time to brace for it.

My body seized up and I bucked against him so hard, I thought I might break something – or break him. While my body was wracked with ecstasy, Edward braced his arms against the mattress and frantically sought his release. I clutched his shoulders, my inner walls spasming around him, and I listened to his long, low groan as he finally came.

My whole body was tingling and Edward was breathing hard against my neck. I rubbed his back absently, absorbed in a sense of wonder.

So that's what good sex felt like. It was a revelation.

Edward lifted off me and pulled out of my body. I watched him hurry into the bathroom, feeling bereft. I wormed quickly under the covers while he was gone, and when he returned, the condom was gone and his face held an uncertain expression.

He joined me under the covers and turned his head toward me.

"Are you...okay? I didn't hurt you?"

"I'm fine," I promised.

"Would you mind if I asked you something personal?"

After what we'd just done, I couldn't imagine getting much more personal. "Go ahead."

"Who have you been with before?"

I pulled the comforter up to my chin, wondering why he even wanted to know. It was all in the past now, anyway. "He was my high school boyfriend."

Edward reached up and brushed a few stray strands of hair from my face. "What was his name?"

I swallowed. "Riley."

I hadn't bothered thinking about Riley in a long time. It wasn't like we'd been in love, though we'd thought we were.

"Why did you break up?" he asked.

I sighed. He was going to feel sorry for me over this, and there was no point. "We broke up when he went off to college. I was staying home with Charlie, and I didn't know when I'd even have time to see him if he visited, so it just made sense."

"It was your decision, then?"

"It was mutual," I said succinctly. "Why are we talking about this?" I certainly didn't want to know about his past love affairs. The thought made me a little queasy, actually.

"I just wanted to know how long it had been for you. Are you sure you're comfortable with everything that happened tonight?"

I met his eyes, all mossy green and concerned for me, and I wondered not for the first time why I wasn't the one paying. "I'm completely comfortable with everything that happened tonight."

Edward smiled. "I'm glad. This has been one of the best nights of my life."

I wanted to make a sly remark about how incredibly sad that was, but I didn't think it would be appropriate. He was being sincere, and it touched me more than I dared to admit.

"It's never been like that for me before," I admitted softly.

"In a good way?" Edward asked.

"In a great way."

He scooted closer under the covers and put his arm around me, pulling me against his chest. He was warm and smelled wonderful, and I hoped he'd never let me go. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and I closed my eyes. Edward reached behind him and turned the lights off, and then he nuzzled his nose into my hair.

"Goodnight, Bella."

I let out a contented sigh. "Goodnight, Edward."

* * *

**A/N: More Q&A**

**Q: Where in KS are you from?**

**A: Just outside the Kansas City area.**

**Q: KU or K-State?**

**A: Rock Chalk Jayhawk!**

**Q: How good do you think KU's bball team will be this year?**

**A: Well, we didn't lose too many guys, and KU does best when we're least expecting it, so...could be a good year.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Pancakes**

I woke several times during the night, unused to sharing a bed, but it was always easy enough to snuggle closer to Edward and drift off again. I could get used to his heavy arms around me.

I woke for good with morning light pouring in on us. Edward was still out cold beside me, as he'd been every time I'd wakened. The sunlight caught in his red-gold hair and on the stubble across his jaw. His skin shone golden. I felt like the heroine of a Greek myth, like Psyche realizing her mysterious lover was Cupid himself.

My stomach growled, reminding me that I was a mere mortal, and I suspected Edward would wake hungry as well. I carefully disentangled myself from Edward and got out of bed. After putting my pajamas back on and making a quick trip to the bathroom, I went downstairs to the kitchen.

It felt odd to be moving around the house alone, like I was trespassing somehow, but I ignored the uncomfortable twinge and began poking around the cabinets. If I was going to live here, I would have to get used to the place. Come Monday, Edward would be back to work and I'd have to be here by myself for long periods.

I'd have to start looking into college. I'd need something to fill my days.

After rummaging around the cabinets and the pantry and the fridge, I found what I'd need for pancakes and got started. It felt good to do something normal, and soon I was humming to myself as I flipped pancakes.

I glanced up in the middle of a flip and saw Edward standing in the doorway. I shrieked and the pancake hit the floor as I clutched my chest.

"Jesus, Edward," I gasped. He stood there smirking, wearing only a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants slung low on his hips, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Sorry," he said, though he didn't look sorry. He pushed off the door frame and walked over to me, sidling up close to press a kiss against my temple. The sweet gesture made my heart beat even harder.

"You scared the Dickens out of me," I accused, leaning down to pick up the fallen pancake. I tossed it in the trash, and when I turned, Edward was chuckling at me.

"I'm sorry," he said again, though I still didn't believe him. "You were just so adorable...I didn't want to interrupt."

I pursed my lips. "Next time make a noise or something."

He laughed and took me by surprise with a kiss to my lips. I shook my head and went back to the pancakes.

"Can I help?" Edward asked.

"Well, you could find your syrup for me. I didn't see it in the pantry," I said. He went obediently, and I finished up with the last of the pancake batter while he was rummaging around.

Soon we were seated at the table with pancakes, butter and syrup and full glasses of milk. Edward made his plate with gusto, and I was secretly pleased to see him in such a good mood this morning. It would seem he had no complaints about the previous night, which was reassuring, because aside from some soreness, I felt about as good as I ever had.

I took a bite of my pancakes and almost choked on it when I heard Edward let out a low moan. I looked up to find him chewing with his eyes closed. He licked a stray drop of syrup from his lip, and I put down my fork. How did that man make eating _pancakes_ sexy?

"These are the best I've ever had," Edward sighed, opening his eyes. "Where did you learn to make pancakes like this?"

I shrugged, blushing. "My mom was always signing us up for cooking classes when I was with her. She didn't get much out of them, but I did."

"What's the story with your mom?" Edward asked with evident interest. "You've rarely mentioned her."

"My mom divorced my dad when I was two. We lived in Phoenix until she remarried when I was seventeen. Phil, her husband, plays baseball and he was traveling a lot at the time, and she was stuck at home with me. I could tell she was unhappy, so I decided to live with Charlie."

Edward frowned. "What did she do when your dad got sick?"

"She tried to convince me to come live with her again," I admitted. "But I couldn't leave Charlie, and I was already eighteen so she couldn't do anything about it. She's been sending me money every month, but she and Phil don't have all that much to spare."

"How long has it been since you saw her?"

I chewed a mouthful of pancake while I thought about it, then swallowed quickly. "She came up for my graduation, so...almost two years now."

"Hmm." Edward went about eating his breakfast with a thoughtful furrow in his brow, and I wondered why he would take so much interest.

I decided to change the subject.

"So, what do you generally do on Sundays?" I asked.

Edward grinned. "Sunday is the one day I let myself be well and truly lazy. Would you like to be lazy with me today?"

"That depends...what does being lazy with you entail?" I asked, pleased with his happy, relaxed manner.

"Well...for starters, we'd spend the rest of the morning lolling around in bed."

My mind paused first on the word 'lolling' – who used that word in conversation – and then skidded to a halt at the word 'bed.'

I was more than ready to be back in bed with Edward.

"Lazy it is," I agreed eagerly.

* * *

**A/N: So this chapter wandered all over the place on me. I will answer more questions on the next update. Right now, I need sleep - I got home from a Florence + The Machine concert about an hour and a half ago, and I am wiped.**

**Before I go, you guys went and got The Cullen Enterprise nominated for Fic of the Week at tehlemonadestand dot net, and I am so appreciative. Head over and vote if you'd like.**

**Thanks all!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Jelly Legs**

Edward insisted we leave the dishes in the sink for the time being and ushered me up the stairs.

Edward flopped immediately back down on the beg and patted the mattress.

"Come on, back in bed," he insisted.

I pretended to be irritated with his pushiness, but I wasn't reluctant at all to climb back into bed.

I mean, his mattress was amazing.

Edward had a TV on the wall opposite the bed, which he switched on.

"News, cartoons, or Law & Order re-runs?" Edward asked, holding up the remote.

"Umm...Law & Order?" I hadn't watched Sunday-morning TV in years.

"Excellent choice," he said, switching to a channel he apparently knew by heart. We both hunkered down under the covers and tried to get into the episode that was already halfway over.

I was just starting to understand why the defendant had murdered his wife when I glanced at Edward and found him staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." But he had a look on his face that I'd seen last night, and I wasn't quite surprised when he moved closer to kiss me.

His lips tasted like maple syrup.

I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back, and I wasn't ashamed to admit I'd been waiting for this all morning. Edward's kisses were soft and sensual and highly addictive.

He let his body come to rest over mine, never allowing our lips to part, and my hands sought out the bare skin of his chest and torso, warm and smooth beneath my palms.

"Bella..." Edward broke away, breathing hard, and looked down at me. "How sore are you this morning?"

I couldn't help smiling. Somebody wanted more sex...someone other than me, even.

"I'm not too sore," I told him, letting my hands slide into his hair. The man had some perfect hair on him, all thick and soft.

He let out a happy hum and kissed me again, but he pulled away too soon.

"And you're comfortable with...?"

I tried not to laugh. "I'm comfortable. I want to."

"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow at that and reached for the bottom of my tank top. "I have to admit, Bella, I'm unhealthily eager to get you naked again."

I felt a blush steal over my face and neck but raised my arms over my head for him to remove my top. Something about the daylight made me feel more exposed than I had last night, but I made my arms remain above my head and let him look at me.

"Mmm, so beautiful," he sighed, cupping my breasts in his large hands. His skin was ever so slightly rough against mine, forcing every nerve ending to wake up and pay attention. Every brush of his thumbs over my nipples sent a rush of warmth directly to my sex.

I reached for Edward to reciprocate in some way, but he gently placed my hands back over my head against the pillows.

"Let me play," he said with a grin. I couldn't argue with that, so I lay back and let him do what he wanted.

He lowered his head and brought his mouth to my breasts, kissing and nuzzling and making me laugh at his antics. He treated my breasts with a reverence that was probably quite sacrilegious in some circles.

And then his tongue began to swirl around my nipples, and his mouth began to suck. I squirmed around trying to get closer, and he pulled away entirely.

I pouted, and he smirked.

"Don't worry, I have more in mind," Edward said, reaching for my shorts. I lifted my hips so that he could remove my shorts and panties together.

"Tell me...did your ex-boyfriend ever go down on you?" Edward asked, planting his hands on my thighs. I shook my head, and Edward grinned broadly. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

"Um, Edward -" I started to say, but he was already parting my legs and sinking down between them.

He looked up my body to meet my eyes. "Don't even tell me not to do it."

"Okay," I said meekly, and he lowered his head. His lips brushed softly over my clit in a brief, tingle-inducing kiss, and then he swiped the same spot with his tongue.

I saw stars.

Edward worked his mouth eagerly against my sex, licking and sucking, nipping with his teeth, spreading me with his fingers. Where our sex the night before had been an intense, burning pleasure, this was something else altogether. His hot, wet tongue was like velvet against me, and the licks and suckling pressure to my clit urged me quickly to a high-flying orgasm. My back arched off the bed and Edward's hands held my hips in place so that he could keep going, drawing out the dizzying, whole-body pleasure. I clutched my fingers in his hair and begged him to stop, to never stop, to have mercy on me.

Edward slowed, but he didn't stop. He let me come down with slow licks, but as soon as my legs stopped shaking, he started up again.

I wondered if it was possible to die from oral sex.

Edward was even more voracious this time, practically devouring me, using his mouth in ways that were likely never intended, if there was in fact a creator. He brought his fingers into play, sliding them easily inside and stroking upward as his mouth sucked at my over-stimulated clit.

"Jesus fucking Christ," I cried out as I came again. I'd never been one to curse, but I thought the Lord would understand if he'd ever felt what was happening to my body right now.

I was weightless. I was possibly being electrocuted - it was hard to say - and I was shaking like a leaf in November. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, could only feel the intense wave of...whatever it was spreading out from my sex and Edward's beautiful mouth.

Edward finally stopped, and after a few deep breaths, I thought perhaps I might be able to function.

Walking was out of the question, though. I had a bad case of jelly legs.

"What was that?" I asked Edward, who still knelt between my legs. He planted his hands on either side of my head, leaning over me.

"That, Bella, was something you should have experienced long ago," he said. He lowered his upper body down, resting on his elbows, and his hips made contact with mine. I could feel him hard and ready through his pajama pants. I wondered if he wanted me to reciprocate. I'd only tried oral once and it hadn't gone very well. Maybe I could practice somehow...like on a banana or something.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Edward asked, smiling at whatever he saw in my expression.

I blushed. "I'd rather not say."

"Fair enough. Would you like to know what I'm thinking?"

"What are you thinking?" I crossed my toes that he wouldn't mention blowjobs.

"I'm wondering if it would be okay for me to kiss you."

"Oh." Kissing was easy. "Yeah, of course."

He dipped his head and pressed his lips to mine, and I realized why he'd asked. He tasted like me. It wasn't awful, though. Kind of salty. And it turned me on a little when I thought about how that taste had gotten there.

Soon we were full-on making out, kissing like we could find the meaning of life in each other's mouth, and Edward was grinding his hips against mine like he could make his pants magically disappear.

I grabbed his pants and shoved them down his hips, freeing his cock to slap against my wet sex.

"Fuck," Edward cursed. It was nice not to be the only one resorting to salty language.

He kept kissing me and I realized he wasn't getting the picture. I reached over to his nightstand and started rummaging around for his condoms.

Edward lifted his head and immediately took over for me.

"You sure you're not too sore?" He asked, even as he was rolling on the weird little circle.

My first thought was that I couldn't even feel my vagina after his mouth finished with me, but instead, I said, "I'm sure."

Edward entered me with a low groan of relief, and my body accepted him readily. There were twinges of soreness, but mostly I felt Edward, in me and on top of me...and I loved it.

"Bella...I don't think I'll last long," he panted.

I wrapped my legs and arms around him and drew him closer. "That's okay. You more than took care of me. Just let go."

He nodded against my shoulder and began to move, slowly for a few moments. While it felt good, I knew I couldn't possibly come again, and I focused on giving more to him. While his hips moved against mine, I turned his face toward me and kissed his lips, his jaw, his neck. Edward's moans as he began to thrust harder were music to my ears, and the elegance and grace of his body were a work of art.

How was I the one getting paid for this?

Edward finished with several hard, fast thrusts and grunted low in my ear. I could feel him pulsing inside me. I could feel his heart beating through his chest.

I could hold him like this for days on end.

Edward let out a sigh against my neck and pulled away. I tried not to giggle watching him take off the condom and throw it away, but he caught me anyway and jumped on the bed to silence me with a kiss.

"You're amazing," he said, kissing the tip of my nose. "Please tell me you'll stay with me."

I looked into his green eyes, the color of moss after rainfall, and I couldn't deny what I wanted.

"I'll stay."

* * *

**A/N: Okay...gonna try to cover all the questions I missed. Sorry for the delayed updating, I went back to work today, so updates will be consistent again.**

**Q: When do you update?**

**A: When I can. Usually at the end of my work day, probably after 6pm central time.**

**Q: Is 'lolling' a real word?**

**A: It is! You can google it.**

**Q: How was the concert?**

**A: Fantastic. Florence is an A+++ performer.**

**Q: November 13th MSU v. KU - friendly rivalry?**

**A: It's always friendly! Unless it's Mizzou, of course. Sorry, Mizzou fans. **

**Q: Will Bella's ex come back into the picture?**

**A: No, it's not going to be one of those.**

**Q: Quick question, I'm from Hawaii, ever been here or wanted to come here?**

**A: Never been, and I don't know anyone who doesn't want to go to Hawaii. I am more than happy to come out for a nice long vacay.**

**Whew. See you tomorrow!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Midnight Oil**

Because it was "Lazy Sunday" Edward insisted we have dinner delivered, and we eventually decided on pizza.

It had been so long since I'd had a pizza I didn't have to cook myself.

We sat in the living room with our pizzas on the coffee table, flanked by Edward's beer and my Coke, and we found a movie on cable to watch.

"So, I think we should talk about what the next week will be like for you."

"Okay," I said a little apprehensively. Maybe this was the part where he told me he wanted me in a French Maid costume every night...not that I would necessarily refuse after I'd felt what Edward was capable of...

"I've mentioned before that I work a lot, but I want to be sure you know what that means. I go in early and come home late. I'm rarely home for dinner. You'll be...on your own a lot."

I shrugged. "That's okay, I'm used to that."

"I know...but there's a difference between being used to something and liking it. I just want you to be prepared. I don't care what you do with your days, so if you want to go to school or find a job or do some volunteer work, it's all fine by me. As I see it, you've more than earned some time lying around the house eating bon-bons, but something tells me you don't care for being idle."

"I don't," I admitted.

He smiled. "So I'm going to transfer your money to your bank account first thing in the morning. I want you to be free to do whatever you want. And I'm going to leave the keys to my Volvo as well. I don't like the thought of you roaming Seattle in that thing you call a truck."

"There's nothing wrong with my truck," I protested. That truck had never let me down. "And Edward...I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the money thing."

"The money thing?" Edward repeated.

I felt my face heat up as I tried to explain. "It's just...it's so much money, and I'm not sure what I'm doing here is something I should get paid for at all..."

Edward took a sip of his beer, eyeing me contemplatively. "You feel as though you're being paid for sex and it makes you uneasy," he surmised.

"Well...yeah."

"Maybe you should consider it more like...paying for your time. I'm paying you to live here with me. I'm paying for your company. The sex...I don't want you to feel like you can't say no."

Perhaps the worst thing about it all was that I didn't want to say no.

But then, I rationalized, I would want to have sex with Edward even without the money. So what he was paying me was really just a bonus.

"Okay," I finally said.

"Okay as in, you feel better about this now?" Edward asked.

I nodded and turned my attention back to my food. "I feel really good about this pizza too."

Edward laughed at that, and the conversation turned to lighter subjects.

Around ten that night, Edward announced he was ready for bed. He didn't ask me to go with him, but it seemed like he wanted me to, so I followed him up the stairs.

This time, we really did just put on pajamas and get into bed. Edward turned the lights off and curled his body around mine in the darkness. Edward fell asleep quickly, but I lay awake a bit longer, evaluating the weekend.

I'd had more fun with Edward than I had in a long time. I really liked sex with Edward. I really liked Edward, period.

What it all added up to was simple: I wanted our strange arrangement to work.

At some point, I drifted off, and at some other point before daybreak, Edward woke me with soft, beseeching kisses that I couldn't deny. I kissed him back sleepily, content to be held against his warm, bare chest. His hands roamed my body under the covers, and by the time he began to undress me, I was more than happy to let him.

He took off his shorts and pressed his naked body to mine. I moaned, still loose from sleep and so nice and warm in our little cocoon. Edward managed quite impressively to get a condom on in the dark, and the he was inside me, moving slow and sweet with shallow thrusts. His pelvic bone rubbed just right against my clit and his cock hit that perfect spot inside me over and over.

When I came, it was a slow, shaking thing, and I whimpered against Edward's lips. His body tensed and stilled over mine as he found his own release, letting out a low groan, almost a growl. I held him close to me, content and still only half-awake. I mumbled a protest when he pulled away and just managed to stay awake until he got back into bed and curled around me once more.

* * *

**Q&A time...**

**Q: Charlie's not gonna get any worse, is he?**

**A: No, I wouldn't do that to Charlie.**

**Q: You get lots of non-fic questions...do you ever feel as though we are being too nosy?**

**A: Nah. I'm an open book. In RL I'm reserved because I have to be, but on the internet? I'll tell you whatever you want to know. You know, aside from things like my social security number. You don't need to know that.**

**Q: I'm dying to know what sort of job allows you to write while you're at work?**

**A: "Allows" is a generous term... I'm an administrative assistant and I'm pretty damned good at it, so I don't exactly require the entire time I'm at work to get my work done...and I fill the time with writing smut on my iPhone.**

**Q: Will we get more EPOV?**

**A: IDK, IDK. We'll see.**

**Q: Will this story have as many chapters as 'The Learning Curve' does?**

**A: I doubt it. The chapters for this story have been a bit longer, and I don't think we have as much of a journey to cover here.**

**Qish: I think someone asked about my livejournal?**

**Aish: I keep meaning to get back in the swing of journaling. If you're on LJ, my handle is cinnamon_kisses.**

**See you later! (Sorry for the late update - I got distracted with online dating.)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Crunch Berries**

When I woke, it was daylight and Edward was gone. I stretched out in the huge bed, seeking the cool spots in the sheets.

It felt lovely.

I looked around me, wondering how I ought to begin my day. It felt foreign to wake up with nothing to do. I didn't have to work or do the laundry or cook for anyone...it was amazing.

In the end, I decided to stick with what I knew. I took a quick shower, put on jeans and a T-shirt, and went downstairs to scrounge up breakfast.

I very much screamed when I found a woman in the kitchen.

The woman spun around and clapped a sudsy hand to her chest. She'd been doing the dishes. She was pretty, probably in her thirties, with a sun-kissed complexion and thick, dark hair held back in a braid. The woman recovered more quickly than I did.

"You must be Miss Bella. I'm Carmen."

I stared at her, and she stared back as if I ought to know who 'Carmen' was.

She huffed out a sigh. "Mr. Cullen didn't tell you, did he? I come three days a week to clean."

"Oh! No, he didn't tell me. I'm sorry I, uh, startled you."

Carmen laughed and waved off my apology as she returned to her work. "No harm, no foul. If it makes you feel better, he did tell me about you. When he said his new girlfriend had moved in, I almost didn't believe him."

"Why?" I asked, venturing further into the room. I didn't know how I felt about Edward calling me his girlfriend just yet, and I wondered what Carmen might know about Edward that I didn't.

"Well, he's not the type to move so quickly. He dated Irina for a year and never gave her more than a dresser drawer."

Irina. It was the first time I'd heard any name connected with Edward's romantic history.

"I think this is good, though," Carmen went on, oblivious. "Edward seemed so happy this morning."

I smiled to myself and moved to get some cereal. I'd seen it in my search through the cabinets yesterday. There were even some Crunch Berries stashes behind the Cheerios.

I deserved Crunch Berries. I was making Edward happy.

"So...how long have you worked for Edward?" I ventured, sitting down at the island with my breakfast.

"Hmm...four years? Something like that."

"So you knew his last girlfriend," I guessed.

"The last three," Carmen said, glancing over her shoulder at me. "They each made it around a year, maybe a little less for Kate. Tanya held out the longest. Nice girls, all of them, but perhaps not quite...substantive enough for Mr. Cullen."

"Substantive?" I repeated with trepidation. I wasn't exactly cultured.

"They were kind of shallow, I guess," Carmen said. "Mr. Cullen is a busy man...he doesn't want to spend his free time going out for the sake of being seen."

"He likes pizza and beer," I surmised, remembering the previous night with a smile.

"Exactly," Carmen laughed. "He wants a simple life."

"I can do simple," I murmured, mostly to myself.

Carmen glanced over her shoulder again. "Yes, I can already see that you're different."

I blushed, hoping it was a compliment, and quietly finished my cereal. When I got up to put my bowl in the dishwasher, I realized something was amiss.

"Carmen...why are you washing dishes when there's a dishwasher?"

Carmen shot me a sidelong look. "It doesn't get them clean enough."

I chuckled and put my bowl in the dishwasher anyway. "Would you like any help?"

"No, thank you. If you start doing my job, I'll have to start doing yours!"

I faked a laugh at that. If only she knew what was included in my job description...

* * *

I decided to spend the morning unpacking. I started with the things that would go in 'my room' like books and knick-knacks, things from childhood that I wanted with me. After that, I lugged my clothes up to Edward's room. It only took a few trips. I didn't have much.

My three blouses, one dress and one pair of dress pants looked pretty pathetic in Edward's large closet...and my underwear, socks, pajamas, jeans and T-shirts only took two of the four drawers Edward had cleared for me.

I'd have to do a little shopping soon.

After the unpacking, I felt a little lost. There wasn't much for me to do in the house other than read or watch TV. I knew I wanted to look into nearby colleges, but I still needed to but a laptop in order to do things like internet research...and I wanted to research which laptop to buy, too.

I thought about going to the library to use a computer, but I had no idea where the closest library was.

I was stuck.

Eventually, I decided to try the computer in Edward's office. I felt weird about going into his work space, but he'd never said it was off-limits, and it wasn't as though I was going to conduct corporate espionage. I wasn't even going to snoop around. I just wanted to get online.

With some trepidation, I sat down behind his desk and opened up his laptop. It was a sleek, ultra-thin machine, probably top-of-the-line, and it booted up quickly.

In the few seconds I waited for the desktop to load, I looked around. It was a spacious room, probably meant as a bedroom if the closet in the south wall was any indication. He had a multitude of bookshelves, some of which held very official-looking tomes and others with your more typical finds - hardback classics, paperback novels. I'd have to raid his collection before I spent money on any new books.

His desk was sort of in the center of the room with a power strip and extension cord connecting all the devices to the nearest outlet. He was all kinds of connected - aside from your typical computer and scanner, he had a combination printer/copier, a fax machine, and one of those phones with a million buttons. I could see him doing a lot of work here.

In between the gadgets, he had some framed photographs. One showed a younger Edward smiling between an older man with Edward's features and blond hair and a lovely woman with Edward's green eyes and auburn hair.

His parents. In this picture, both mother and father seemed young, happy and healthy. Edward looked like he might be in his late teens. I felt a lump in my throat at the sight of the perfect family that had been torn apart.

Next to that photograph was another family portrait, this time with a younger boy next to a young Edward. He had dark hair and his mother's dimples, and Edward had him in a headlock. This was Emmett, I assumed.

The third photograph showed Edward, looking a bit older, with a man who had similar features to Edward and his father, though his hair was a light brown and his face was a little rounder. Both Edward and the man wore suits and ties and appeared to be standing in an office. I guessed this was the uncle Edward had spoken of.

A vacuum cleaner turned on downstairs, and I almost fell out of my chair. I'd forgotten Carmen was here.

I shook my head, breathing deeply to calm my now pounding heart, and got back to business.

After a couple hours, I knew what computer I wanted and where to go to get it. I'd also printed out some registration forms for the nearest community college.

It was only three in the afternoon when I finished, and Edward likely wouldn't be home for at least three more hours, so I decided I may as well go today.

Before I left Edward's office, I checked my bank account online. True to Edward's word, I was $25,000 richer.

It was a heady feeling. I couldn't fathom how to spend all that money, but I started by transferring $500 to savings.

It was the largest transfer I could do online. I'd have to move $500 each day for a while.

In the garage, I debated which vehicle to take. Edward had been fairly adamant that I take the Volvo if I wanted to go anywhere, but the thought of driving such a nice car and potentially doing any damage to it terrified me.

I got into my truck instead and began the slow drive to Best Buy.

Getting my computer was fairly quick since I knew exactly what I wanted. Wading through the additional merchandise and warranties they wanted to sell me took a little longer, but after about an hour, I walked out with my very first laptop.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like a 20-year-old girl.

* * *

**A/N: Updating from work...shhhh, don't tell.**

**Q: Is Edward hoping that this will lead to a real relationship or is he just thinking of this as a business arrangement?**

**A: All will be revealed in time.**

**Q: I just can't get over how "nice" Edward is, it's definitely good but I was wondering if he's going to show another side?**

**A: All will be revealed in time.**

**Q: What is it about the Live Journal you said in the Q&A note**

**A: There's this website called Livejournal dot com where people have...journals. And mine in cinnamon_kisses, and someday I will actually use it.**

**Q: If you were Bella would you take the money? Or insist on doing "it" for free?**

**A: If a fuckhot, wealthy man wanted to subsidize my writing career in exchange for fuckhot sex, I would totally take the money.**

**Q: So Edwards ex isn't coming back right?**

**A: Nah, that's such an overdone plot twist I'm not even going to attempt it. I won't promise no exes will ever show up in the story, but it's not going to be one of those vicious-ex-girlfriend-trying-to-destroy-their-relationship things. At all.**

**Q: So, online dating? I know you said any kind of questions were ok... Back during the learning curve you mentioned you weren't seeing anyone. So is this story research, or are you looking? You also mentioned that you weren't as experienced as the characters you right about. Do you care to mention if that status has changed?**

**A: Yup, all kinds of questions are okay. I'm just flattered you're interested in my mediocre life. I'm still not seeing anyone. It's not story research - I am officially looking. Talking with my BFF earlier this week, I decided I can't put life on hold until I'm comfortable with my body or whatever else is holding me back, so I'm putting myself out there and seeing what happens. As far as sexual experience...no, sadly, it's still just me and my secret toy drawer.**

**Q: Is there going to be a major conflict in this fic?**

**A: I dunno yet. We'll see what arises. I'm more of a character-first kind of writer.**

**Q: Two things: I LOVE your Q/A section, it's so personable! And pizza?! They have nearly unlimited resources and she wants pizza?!**

**A: Thank you, love! And yes, as hinted at in this chapter, Edward and Bella are just simple folk. With lots of money.**

**Q: When did you first get into Twilight and Fanfiction?**

**A: I got into fanfic first. If you scroll down my page, you'll see I started posting on this site in 2002 (but please God don't read any of it, I was 14!). I was reading Harry Potter and wanted more, so I started looking at fansites online and found fanfic...and then I started writing my own. I got into Twilight my freshman year of college. Eclipse wasn't out yet. And I immediately became so obsessed that writing Twific was a given.**

**Q: Recently, I've had an obsession with post Breaking Dawn fics. Have you written any or know of any?**

**A: Sadly, no to both. I mean, I have a couple one-shots that are post-Breaking Dawn-ish, but nothing big. And I don't get out much when it comes to reading fic.**

**Q: I know we say that one should never ask a woman her age... but I'm just so curious :) Wondering if you'll tell us your age?**

**A: Sure, I'm 24.**

**Q: How did your online dating distraction go? Anyone interesting?**

**A: Only one response to my profile so far, but it hasn't gone anywhere yet. A couple cuties have been suggested for me, but I'm pathetically afraid of rejection.**

**Q: What's ish mean? I get what Q and A mean.**

**A: I just meant it was a question-ish and an answer-ish...not quite official.**

**Q: Are you completely done with "The Learning Curve"? or will you still be posting a few more Extras for it?**

**A: I haven't had the inspiration for any extras in a while. You never know when the mood will strike, though.**

**Okay, that was a long Q&A session. Moving on...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: Perfectly Squeezable**

_EPOV_

Going back to work after a weekend with Bella was...challenging, especially when I wanted nothing more than another few hours in bed with her.

I reminded myself that I'd made this arrangement precisely because I wanted to be free to tend to my company, and I made myself go to work.

Alice brought my morning coffee to my desk and then stood there, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Yes?" I finally sighed, looking up from my computer screen.

"Did she move in?" Alice asked eagerly. "Can I meet her?"

"Yes, she moved in," I said. I may or may not have told Alice that Bella was my girlfriend. I'd given her the story that we'd connected so intensely that I couldn't stand to be three hours away from her.

It was mostly true.

"And?" Alice pressed, wanting the answer to her other question.

"Soon." It was a deflection, but she'd have to deal with it. "I don't want to overwhelm her."

"Well, I think I'm going to like her."

I snorted at that. "You spoke with her once."

Alice shrugged. "When you know, you know. That's why you moved her in so quickly, isn't it?"

I knew if I allowed it, Alice would launch into a discussion of my feelings, and I wasn't in the mood for that at all. "What's on my schedule today?"

"You've got a meeting with the owner of Creative Energies at nine -"

Creative Energies was the newest business we wanted to take over.

"- And at noon you've got lunch with your brother. At two, a meeting with the head of Development and at five, a meeting with Aro Castello."

"Who?" I frowned.

"He's a potential investor."

I considered how long that meeting might take. "Call his office and see if four o'clock would be more convenient."

Alice left, and I tried to dive into my work. Usually, it was no trouble to lose myself in spreadsheets and reports, but today, my mind was drifting more than usual.

I kept wondering what Bella was doing.

Was she out and about? Was she spending her money? I hoped she was. She'd had pitifully few belongings in the back of her truck on Saturday, and she without a doubt deserved nice things.

Perhaps she was sleeping in this morning. She deserved some time to relax and be lazy, too.

But if I knew Bella, and I thought I did even after only two days of living together, she was probably doing something practical with her time.

I loved her no-nonsense ways.

Thinking about what Bella was doing made me think of what I could be doing with her. I truly enjoyed her company...and heaven help me, I adored her in bed. She was inexperienced to be sure, but she possessed an innate sensuality that was sexy as hell...and I couldn't wait to see what she'd be willing to explore with me.

God, I wanted to go home.

Fate wasn't on my side, though, because my day dragged on and on. Aro Castello couldn't reschedule, and it was just as well because all of my meetings ran long.

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

My meeting with Aro dragged on well into the dinner hour. He was an elderly man who seemed to want nothing more than to hear himself talk. Instinct told me I could secure his investment simply by humoring him, but I really wanted to cut to the chase and get home.

It was nearly eight when Aro and I finally shook hands on a deal.

I thought I'd finally be able to head home, but when I returned to my desk, I found that Alice had left a note and a sub sandwich.

The note told me we'd had a major problem in one of our contracts.

I'd have to meet with our legal representatives before I left.

It was ten-thirty by the time I got home, and I was undeniably tired and cranky. I was clearly being punished by some higher power. The one night I wanted to go home early, the universe wouldn't let me.

I pulled into the garage and climbed out of my car, only then noticing that something seemed amiss.

I looked around the garage, trying to place it. There was the Volvo on the right, my tool caddy, my golf clubs, Bella's truck.

Bella's truck was facing the wrong way. I'd pulled it forward into the garage on Saturday for Bella, but today, it had been backed into its spot.

I scowled. I hadn't forgotten to leave the keys to the Volvo, had I? I shook my head. No, I remembered leaving them in the foyer where I said I would. She'd just driven her truck anyway.

Had she gone into the city in that thing?

Fretting and fuming, I went inside. The downstairs was dark save for the light in the stairwell. I made sure the house was secured and the alarm was activated before I went up in search of Bella.

She wasn't on the second floor, either, and the thought of her upstairs in my room eased my irritation.

Was she sleeping? Did I want her waiting up for me?

I hurried up the stairs, shedding my jacket and tie along the way. I saw light in the doorway and almost called out for her, but refrained after getting a glimpse into the room.

She was asleep, slumped against a stack of pillows with an open paperback lying face down on her chest. Her eyelashes were dark against her pale skin and her lips were slightly parted.

She was adorable. She was beautiful. And I got to crawl into bed with her.

As quietly as I could, I shed my shoes and clothing. Down to my boxers, I tiptoed into the bathroom to take a leak and brush my teeth.

When I came back, Bella remained asleep. I gently took the book and placed it on the bedside table, then turned out the light.

Only when I slid into bed beside her did she stir.

"Edward?" she mumbled sleepily. I reached for her in the darkness, bringing our bodies closer.

"Yeah, it's me."

She relaxed and snuggled into me. "Did you just get home?"

"Yeah...work was out of control today," I said, taking a deep breath. The scent of her fruity shampoo relaxed me somehow. "Did you go out today?"

Bella nodded her head against my shoulder. "I bought a laptop."

"Yeah?" I was happy to know she was making some purchases for herself. "That's great, Bella. But I have a question for you."

"What?"

"Why didn't you take the Volvo like I asked?"

I felt Bella squirming. "I was uncomfortable. I didn't want anything to happen to it while I was driving it."

I sighed and looked to the heavens for strength. "Bella, that truck can't be safe. What if it broke down in a bad area? You need to be in a dependable vehicle. A car can be replaced...but you can't replace a life."

She of all people should know that.

"I just don't want to take any more from you. I'd like to feel just a little bit like I'm earning my keep."

I didn't need to see her face to know she had made up her mind on this.

"If you don't want to drive my car, then this weekend we need to go and find you something of your own. I'm sure your father doesn't want you going back and forth to Forks in that ancient beast."

Bella sighed, a warm puff of air against my chest. "Okay. This weekend."

"Thank you," I said, kissing her forehead. She needed to start worrying about herself a little more.

Bella shifted, her hair tickling my skin and her thigh accidentally rubbing against my crotch.

A minute ago I'd been thinking of nothing but sleep. Now I could think of nothing but my awakened cock and its desire to be inside Bella.

I dipped my head and sought out her lips. She responded languidly, brushing her soft, soft lips against each of mine. I burrowed my hand down the back of her shorts, cupping her perfectly squeezable behind, drawing her hips toward my erection.

Bella moaned and pushed against me, and that was all the encouragement I needed to roll her onto her back and allow my body to settle over hers. While she kissed me with growing hunger, almost sloppy, I removed the articles of clothing that separated us. Bella's hands tugged at my hair and ran down my back. Her mouth sucked at my neck, teeth scraping against my skin. With my fingers I stroked her sex; she was damp and arched into my touch.

Finally, the craving I'd been fighting all day could be satisfied.

I hated the thought of putting on a condom, but I forced myself, for her sake. I was dying for the day I could have her without barriers, all that wetness and velvety skin in direct contact with my cock...

I got the stupid piece of latex on and rubbed the head of my cock against her entrance. Bella's throaty moan was the sexiest sound I'd ever heard.

I pushed into her and nearly wept in relief.

Over the weekend, I'd done my best to be gentle with her, knowing she'd need time to adjust...but there was no way I could take it slow with Bella grinding her hips up into mine like she just had to have more right away.

This girl would be the death of me. But damn, what a way to go.

I let my body move the way it wanted to move, hips gyrating as I stroked in and out of her in a steady, quick rhythm. Her hands held me by the hair, fingers curling against my scalp, and I kissed her like my life depended on it.

I couldn't get enough of her.

As my release built, as I fought with every thrust to get deeper, my hands roamed. She had such flawless skin. Perfect hips for grabbing. Breasts that didn't fill my hands but felt just right, so petal-soft against my palms.

I felt my release nearing, my lower body tightening up, and I held Bella closer, wanting everything I could get. I sneaked my right hand between our bodies and rubbed my thumb against her clit. There was nothing I wanted more than to feel her squeeze around me right now.

Bella whimpered. She drew my head down to hers and kissed me, tasting my lips with her tongue. I opened my mouth over hers and gave the same in return, winding my tongue with hers while my hips smacked against hers below.

Out of nowhere, she tightened up around me, convulsing, crying out. I could just make out her features in the darkness, the beautiful abandon. She squeezed around me again, and my release rushed through me.

I'd never come with this kind of intensity before. Every time with Bella was a life-altering experience...seeing stars on the back of my eyelids, my body shaking with the force of it. The release of all that pressure left me with a heady, weightless feeling, and I always wanted more of it.

I didn't want to pull out of her. I didn't want to leave her embrace to toss the condom. I made myself get up before I passed out on her, in her.

When I climbed back into bed, I spooned up against her back. It felt so good to hold her soft, warm body against mine. I was so glad she'd agreed to my ridiculous proposal.

I was so glad I wasn't alone.

Bella hummed her contentment and placed her arm over mine against her stomach. Listening to her breathe, smelling her hair as it tickled my nose, it was so easy to pretend that this was real.

I was happy to keep pretending.

* * *

**A/N: Absolutely nothing important will be said in this author's note. Feel free to skip it entirely. A few people have said they find my "Q&A" sessions unattractive, and to that I say, feel free to skip them. I also know many people would like longer chapters, and I respect that, but longer chapters would mean less frequent updates. I'm willing to put it to a vote.**

**Q&A -**

**Q: Is this your first online dating experience?**

**A: Yes...and so far I'm not impressed.**

**Q: Regarding the request for post-BD fic, the recommendations:**

**A: 'The Untitled continuation of the Twilight Saga' by Gothicfictionfan / Changing Tides, New World by BEEternity**

**Q: The Plaza or Zona Rosa?**

**A: Considering I live on the Kansas side, I would say The Legends/Village West. But things are certainly more affordable at Zona Rosa than they are at the Plaza.**

**Q: online dating?! i hope you are prepared to spill, big time!**

**A: There's nothing to spill so far. I even initiated contact with a few guys, but no response yet.**

**Q: Bella finally feels 20? Does that mean she's been feeling old and now she feels like the young person she is, OR did it mean she's felt like a kid since she didn't move on from high school until now?**

**A: Well, I meant it as her having felt old and finally being young and free...but I suppose it could go either way.**

**Q: Oh I have one! How's the kitty? Rafa right?**

**A: Yup, it's Rafa. (He's a grey tabby I adopted last November.) He's about a year and a half now, he's gotten super fat, and he's a snugglebutt.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Cookies**

Tuesday I woke again to find Edward already gone. I wasn't surprised, exactly, but it made me miss Lazy Sunday and how it felt to nap and wake up in his arms.

He gave really good cuddle. It was sort of baffling that he couldn't sustain a relationship.

Carmen came on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so the house was empty and quiet when I went down for breakfast. I didn't mind. I had plans for the day.

After I ate, I showered and dressed, then sat down at my new laptop.

I loved that - my new laptop.

After taking a moment to update my blog and let everyone know that all was well, I returned to my mission for the day.

College.

I was applying to a community college. Why I needed to apply was beyond me - shouldn't anyone be able to take a class at a community college? - but I would jump through their hoops. Today I was going to finish and submit all the admissions paperwork and call old Forks High to get them to mail in a copy of my transcripts.

I was done with the paperwork by lunchtime, and I took a break to make a sandwich and watch a little TV.

Edward was right about me needing something to fill my days. Daytime TV was awful.

Wandering back into the kitchen through the empty downstairs, I felt a pang of loneliness. I missed my dad. We didn't necessarily spend much time talking, but I was used to his presence.

Edward's house was too quiet sometimes.

I shook it off and went back to my room. This was a time of transition. I wouldn't be lonely once I was taking classes during the day, and if I was lucky, I could start those next month in the second summer session. I'd probably be glad for the quiet once I had homework to do.

Still, I couldn't help wondering if Edward would mind me getting a dog or something.

I forced myself to concentrate on my next task and picked up my cell phone. I looked at it contemplatively. It was probably time for a real one, with a real plan.

Dialing the number to Forks High had me a little nervous. I knew who would answer, and she was a polite but nosy woman.

"Forks High School, this is Shelly. How may I help you?"

"Um, hi, Mrs. Cope, it's Bella Swan."

"Oh, Bella, dear! How is your father? We've hardly seen the Chief since he retired."

She meant "since he got cancer," but I appreciated her effort. "He's doing really well, thanks."

"And how are you? I heard you left Newton's for some big job in Seattle."

"Yeah, I did." I paced before my window. "It's going really well. I'm actually calling because I'm trying to start some college classes and they want my transcripts."

Mrs. Cope got down to business then, effusively happy for me, and I gave her the address where she needed to mail the transcripts. I had to answer a barrage of questions about my job and what I planned to study before she let me go, and I let out a sigh of relief when I finally ended the call.

There was one thing done.

Once again, I had time on my hands before Edward got home. I decided to busy myself in the kitchen. My intent was to make some things to take to Charlie on Sunday, but I ended up baking cookies instead.

I hadn't had a homemade chocolate chip cookie in ages. When I saw the chips in the pantry, I couldn't resist.

This was where Edward found me when he got home around seven-thirty. I was taking my last tray out of the oven when Edward walked in with a bag of what looked like Chinese takeout. His eyes lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning when he saw the mountain of treats I was amassing.

I may have made a triple batch.

"Cookies?" he said with glee. He set his takeout on the island counter and snatched up a cookie. I watched him take a big bite out of it and close his eyes. His hum of pleasure hit me right in the knees, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from his jaw flexing as he chewed. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he opened his eyes in my direction.

"Delicious," he grinned. He had a dab of chocolate on the corner of his mouth, and his tongue darted out to catch it. "I love warm cookies."

I laughed, turning to hide the flush creeping up my neck and face. "Me too."

"Have you eaten?" Edward asked from behind me. I heard a bag rustling. "I brought plenty."

"So I see," I replied, turning around to take in the array of styrofoam containers he set out on the counter.

I turned off the oven and sat with Edward on the stools at the island. He'd opened all the containers and we spooned up whatever we wanted.

"So how was your day?" I asked Edward before chomping into an egg roll.

"Long, but a significant improvement on yesterday. And now there are cookies, so it's looking like a banner day now." He grinned at me. "What did you do today?"

"Aside from the cookies? I finished the admissions paperwork for Seattle Community College."

"That's fantastic," Edward said, and he sounded like he meant it. "Have you given any thought to what you want to study?"

"Not really. I was just going to take the prerequisite stuff and go from there. I haven't given a whole lot of thought to what I want to do."

"Well, now you have plenty of time to figure it out," Edward said with an easy smile.

"Yeah, I guess so," I agreed. When he smiled at me like that, it was hard to think.

We finished our dinner, stowing away the leftovers, and Edward helped me clean up the kitchen. I put the cookies away in a container Edward retrieved for me, and then we stood in awkward silence.

"Do you want to go upstairs?" Edward finally asked.

I guessed he probably wasn't looking to play a game of Scrabble up there.

I nodded, and he gestured for me to lead the way.

* * *

**A/N: Will resume Q&A tomorrow with probably a much longer update.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: Like That**

Feeling the weight of his gaze on me the entire way, I climbed the steps to the bedroom. His footsteps were soft, but I always knew he was there by the heat of his body close behind mine. My own body tingled with anticipation, an anticipation that I could admit had been building all day.

I walked into the bedroom, and Edward shut the door firmly behind us. In a quick movement, Edward turned me and pinned me to the sturdy wood. His strong arms had no difficulty lifting me up, hitching my thighs around his hips, and then his lips mashed against mine. His tongue pushed into my mouth and his teeth clashed against mine.

It was a bruising kiss...a claiming kiss. I fought back with my teeth nipping at his lips, making a claim of my own. I had no desire to struggle against Edward's power over my body, my arousal, but I wanted proof of my power over him.

My fingers reached for his tie, yanking it loose and pulling it over his head. I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and tugged. He had to put me down to get the jacket off, and just like that, we were moving toward the bed, undressing each other with a haste that left me no time to be nervous or self-conscious.

Down to his boxers, Edward fell back on the bed, taking me with him. I managed to straddle his hips, feeling very exposed in just my panties atop him.

"You're so...perfect," Edward sighed, his hands sliding up my stomach to palm my breasts. My nipples hardened at his touch, my breasts feeling heavier with the tension. I ground my hips against his cock, hot and hard even through two layers of fabric. My sex ached with the need to have him inside, and my hands itched to touch.

I wondered again if he'd want me to go down on him. I wanted to - I wanted to feel the weight against my tongue, see if the skin of his cock was salty or sweet - but I remembered trying it with Riley...I didn't want to mess up again.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked. He reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear, allowing him to fully see my face. My cheeks grew warm.

"I guess I was wondering if...if maybe there's anything you wanted me to do?"

His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what I meant.

"Bella...are you asking if I want a blowjob?"

I tried to move my body off his, but his hands held my hips down. "Um...yeah?"

"Hmm." He stroked my inner thighs with his thumbs, and my breathing accelerated. "If you want to give, I'm more than happy to receive. But it's by no means something I expect you to do - I mean, I want you to be comfortable with everything that happens between us."

"I think...I want to try it." My face had to be a really attractive shade of pink. "But I've only done it once, and, um...I guess I wasn't very good."

Edward frowned. "What makes you think that?"

I looked away, focusing my eyes across the room. "I couldn't make him come."

Edward shook his head. "I have a hard time believing that had anything to do with you."

I shifted. "Will you...tell me what to do?"

He closed his eyes. "_Fuck_. Yes, Bella, if you're sure."

I nodded, but he couldn't see, so I sank to my knees on the carpeted floor. Edward opened his eyes when he felt me moving and lifted up on his elbows. I pulled his boxer-briefs down, freeing his long, heavy cock. I eyed it objectively, seeing the pink skin, the ridges of veins, the perfectly shaped head.

"How should I start?" I asked, grazing my fingers over the tip.

"Just like that." He sounded breathless already. "Do what feels comfortable...and when you're ready, put your mouth...oh, fuck."

I was ready. The tip of his cock felt heavy on my tongue.

Salty.

I sucked lightly and glanced up to Edward for reassurance. He gave a slight nod, watching me with hooded eyes. His breath fell heavily from his parted lips. His lust made me bold, and I lowered my mouth further.

"Shit," Edward groaned.

I lifted my head. "Is this...good?"

He choked out a laugh. "Very good. Just bob your head now, like – _yes_, like that," he hissed as I began to raise and lower my mouth over him. I watched him drop against the mattress, his head falling back. His whole body seemed to strain toward my mouth, and I marveled at the pleasure I could give him with such a simply act. My jaw was getting tired quickly, but I didn't want to stop, not when this gorgeous, powerful man who could have anyone he wanted was completely at my mercy.

"God...Bella, you need to stop," Edward groaned. I froze, mortified. I thought I'd been doing so well. But then he went on, "I'm gonna come in about two seconds if you don't stop, and I'm nowhere near done with you."

"Really?" I said as I pulled away, pleased with myself. I couldn't believe he would lie to me about that.

"Get up here," he said with a grin. I stood, and he sat up to shove my panties down my legs before he pulled me into his lap. His naked body was firm beneath mine, and his cock, wet with my saliva, rubbed against my sex.

I whimpered, and Edward reached for a condom.

"I want you so badly, all the time," Edward said as he rolled on the condom. "You must think I'm insatiable, but I can't help myself. You're so sexy."

No one had ever called me sexy before.

Edward's hands squeezed my butt cheeks, pulling me forward, and I realized what he wanted. I'd never been on top before, not with Edward or Riley, and I felt unsure...but there was no fighting my body's desire to slide down on him.

I closed my eyes when he slipped inside. Gravity drew me down on him, forcing me to take him in deeper than ever before.

Edward clenched his hands against my hips. I opened my eyes to look down at him. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were trained on my breasts.

He made me feel sexy.

I lifted my hips and then dropped back down against him. His cock hit all the right spots in this position, and the first pass made my thighs quiver. I didn't know how I could keep this up, but Edward was there helping me, pushing his hips up to drive into me, guiding my body with his strong hands.

I rocked against him eagerly. It felt phenomenal to be with him this way. I lost myself in the push and pull of our sex, his eyes watching me and mine watching him. I was enraptured.

His hand slid up my back and curled around the nape of my neck, pulling me down as his head rose so that he could kiss me. His lips were feverish, kissing mine raw as we continued in our back and forth rhythm. The pressure began to build low in my belly, tightening with every thrust of Edward's cock, spurred on by his left hand finding my breast and massaging my nipple.

"Can you come?" Edward asked against my lips.

I nodded. I was getting close.

"Good," he said, his voice barely more than a breath into my mouth. His hand left my breast and dropped between us, where his thumb zeroed in on my clit and began to rub in quick circles. "I want it. I love seeing you come – the look on your face – the way you squeeze around me. Come for me, beautiful, please."

The sound of his voice and the pressure of his hand brought the tension to a breaking point, and it snapped like a rubber band. My body seized as I rode out the currents of pleasure overcoming me, and Edward continued to thrust into me, drawing out my release. I felt suspended, momentarily boneless. My limbs went weak and I found it difficult to stay upright atop Edward.

"Fuck, yes," Edward grunted, and I forced my eyes open to see his head thrown back, the tendons in his neck stretched taut even as his jaw hung slack. His pleasure was absolutely gorgeous, and I could feel him pulsing inside me. There was such power in the sensation, in knowing what I could do to a man who affected me so profoundly.

"Bella...damn, Bella," Edward sighed as he calmed down. He gently pulled me down to lay against him. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heart pounding.

We lay together as our sweaty skin cooled. My eyes began to droop as our heartbeats slowed to a normal rhythm. I was dozing when Edward nudged me.

"Hmm?"

"I need to get up, sweetheart."

I grumbled. "But I'm comfy."

Edward laughed. "I'm glad, but this condom is getting distinctly _uncomfy_."

"Oh. Sorry." I moved off him, blushing, and he got up and went into the bathroom. I scooted under the covers, too lazy to get up and put on my pajamas. Edward returned a moment later and slid in beside me.

He turned his head toward me. "Do you want to watch some TV?"

"Sure." I lay back against the pillows and watched him flip through the channels, marveling at how comfortable it felt to have him around.

"So, I'll probably be late again tomorrow," Edward said after he settled on a show. "I've got all kinds of meetings that are bound to run long, and we've been having problems with one of our contracts."

"Okay," I said. Another full day and night by myself, then. I was surprised at how sad I felt at the prospect, but I resolved to do something productive. Perhaps I could start working in that greenhouse of his.

"Will you be all right on your own?" Edward asked. I wondered at his concern. He'd told me it would be this way, after all.

"Of course. I'm a big girl."

He smiled and leaned across the pillows to kiss me, and soon the TV was forgotten.

* * *

**A/N: SO sorry I went AWOL on you. For some reason this chapter was fighting me every step of the way. It's like 3am here, and I have to work in the morning, so I'm going to postpone the Q&A again until the next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Alice?**

Wednesday morning I went down to breakfast only to find Carmen taking clean dishes out of the cabinets and piling them next to the sink.

"You know I washed those yesterday, right?" I said as I prepared my cereal.

"In the dishwasher," Carmen said with the same tone one would use talking about cockroaches. "They're all spotty."

I frowned. "Does Edward make you rewash them?"

"No, no." Carmen waved her sponge at me in dismissal. "Mr. Cullen says the dishwasher is perfectly adequate, but I take pride in my work, and there will not be spotty dishes in this house!"

I smiled down into my Cheerios and left her to it. It was nice to know the problem was Carmen being a perfectionist rather than Edward being an obsessive compulsive tyrant.

After I ate, showered and dressed, I prepared to go out. I had plans, plans that required supplies.

I didn't want to take my truck and get a lecture again, even though my purchases would probably be better off in the bed of my truck, so I reluctantly took the keys to the Volvo from the foyer and stepped into the garage.

It was just so...shiny. What if I got it dirty, or someone dinged it in the parking lot? And then there were the cushy leather seats and the spotless interior with more buttons than I'd ever seen in a vehicle.

Was it normal to be this nervous to drive a car?

I forced myself to get behind the wheel. Getting out of the garage was a little shaky. The car was a lot more sensitive than I was used to. By the time I was out of Edward's neighborhood, though, I had gotten the hang of it.

My first stop was a bookstore. There were a few novels I'd been wanting to read for ages, and I picked up some books on gardening, too.

After that, I made my way to a home improvement store to buy some plants. I was fortunate enough to find an older man named Peter working in the gardening department who helped me pick out some easy herbs, vegetables and flowers to start with. He was even kind enough to find a piece of cardboard I could put down in Edward's trunk to keep it from getting dirty.

I felt a great sense of accomplishment from this alone, but there was still one more thing I wanted to do.

My last stop was a trip to the grocery store for supplies. I wanted to do some cooking for Charlie in the next couple days so that I'd have plenty of meals to take to him on Sunday. I needed to call him tonight, too. I'd talked to him Monday night, but I felt like I should be checking on him daily.

When I got home with all my purchases, I was tired but satisfied. It took some time, but I got all the groceries into the kitchen and hauled the plants into the greenhouse where they'd stay until I had more time to devote to them.

Still, I watered them for good measure.

When I went back inside, I ate lunch and rested a while before starting on dinner.

Carmen left around 4:00 and shortly after that, I was able to pack up the meal I'd made, along with some of last night's cookies, and hit the road.

The Cullen Enterprises office building was near the heart of Seattle, and while I'd expected the drive to be crazy, I hadn't realized just what I was getting into.

There were hills, lots of them, and I was driving a stick.

I resolved after stalling the second time to get an automatic as soon as possible.

Beyond repeatedly coming to involuntary stops and getting angry honks and birds flipped at me, I also had to deal with rain and the traffic.

It was like these people had never driven in rain before. Were they all from out of town?

The one blessing was that the building had a garage. Still, by the time I made it to the Cullen Enterprises lobby, I was cranky and regretting my brilliant idea.

The man behind the desk stopped me before I could get to the elevator bank.

"Excuse me, miss, where do you think you're going?"

I turned around. The man wore a suit and tie and a name tag that read 'James.' He also wore a very unattractive sneer.

"I'm visiting...my boyfriend," I told him.

His eyes narrowed. "All visitors must be registered through the front desk. What's your name and who are you visiting?"

I narrowed my eyes right back. "I'm Isabella Swan and I'm here to see Edward Cullen," I told him, bristling.

James looked me up and down and snorted. "Don't waste your time. You're not the first girl to try that. He's not interested in being pestered by some coed."

I gaped at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Move it along before I call security."

I stood taller and leveled him with the fiercest glare I could muster. "I will not move it along. I'm Edward's girlfriend. You can confirm it with his assistant."

He rolled his eyes, and I knew I'd have to call in the big guns. I pulled out my phone and found the number Alice had called me from weeks ago. This uppity little shit was not going to ruin my surprise.

Fortunately, the number went directly to Alice and not a switchboard.

"Cullen Enterprises, Alice speaking. How may I help you?"

"Hi, Alice, this is Bella Swan. I don't know if you remember me, but -"

"Of course I remember! What can I do for you, Bella?"

"Well, I'm kind of stuck in the lobby. Edward said he'd be working late tonight, so I wanted to bring him some dinner, but this guy at the main desk won't let me up."

Alice was quiet for a moment. "I'll come right down to bring you up myself. Pass the phone to the man at the desk, will you?"

"Okay." I held out the phone to James. "She wants to talk to you."

He took the phone skeptically. "This is James."

I couldn't hear what Alice said to him, but whatever it was made him go pale.

By the time he handed me the phone back, his entire demeanor had changed.

"Forgive me, Miss Swan. I - I didn't realize. Please, make yourself comfortable. Ms. Brandon is on her way down."

Maybe it was petty, but I didn't thank him when I sat on the couch against the wall. I hugged my Tupperware container against my chest and watched the elevators for my rescuer.

When the doors opened and an extremely petite woman with short black hair stepped out, I hesitated. Was this really Alice? I'd pictured her being...well, taller, for one thing. But she walked right up to me.

"Bella?"

I stood. "Yeah...hi."

She grinned at me and stuck out her hand. "I'm Alice. It's so good to meet you!"

I shifted my container under my arm and took her tiny hand. "Likewise."

"Come on up," she said, steering me to the elevator. "Edward's in a meeting, but you can wait in his office."

"Oh, maybe I should have called ahead," I said sheepishly as the doors shut us in. "I just...wanted to surprise him."

Alice shushed me. "Don't be silly. He'll be thrilled. And for what it's worth, I think it's super sweet of you. No one's ever done anything like this for him before."

I turned my head toward her. "No one? Not his family, or his past girlfriends?"

Alice shook her head sadly. "This is a first. It's nice to see someone looking out for him. And hey, I don't have to find him dinner before I leave for the night!" she finished cheerily.

"That happens a lot, huh? How long have you worked for Edward?"

"About...three years now, I think."

We were about halfway to the top floor. "Is he a good boss?"

"The best," Alice said with a grin. I felt a flicker of uneasiness. This woman seemed as charmed by Edward as I was...and she was pretty, and she spent more time with Edward than I did.

And Edward and I had never talked about exclusivity. I'd just assumed that since he was looking for the convenience of a girl at home, he wouldn't be looking for anything more on the side...but he'd never promised that.

The elevator chimed and the doors open, and I followed Alice quietly through an immaculate waiting area, past a tidy desk that I assumed belonged to Alice, to a set of double doors. Alice opened one and peeked in before gesturing me to go through.

"He's still in his meeting, but I'm guessing it won't last much longer. He gets cranky when he has to spend too much time with accountants. Make yourself comfortable, and let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay." I forced myself to smile in spite of my dark thoughts. It wasn't Alice's fault I was suddenly and irrationally jealous, and she'd been nothing but nice to me. "Thank you."

Alice winked. "Any time."

She left me alone in Edward's office, and I stood there looking at the large space. There was a desk, of course, a sleek, modern thing that I could easily see Edward sitting behind in his suit and tie. There were a few other doors off the office, but I didn't look to see where they went. He had bookshelves, some filing cabinets, a table in the center of the room surrounded by chairs, and a black leather couch by the windows overlooking the Sound.

Seeing Edward's office made me realize for the first time just how larger than life he really was. When he'd offered to solve all my financial woes, I'd been awed and baffled, but he was so down-to-earth and _normal_ all the time. Here, he was very much a CEO.

I set my container with dinner on the table and wandered over to the couch. The view from his office was just amazing. I wondered how often he took the time to really appreciate it.

I'd only been waiting a minute or two when I heard Edward's voice outside, growing louder as he approached.

"Alice, remind me tomorrow to look at those job applications." I heard the door handle turn. "And if you wouldn't mind, before you leave tonight could you find me – "

Edward stopped in his tracks when he opened his office door and saw me there.

"Hi," I said lamely. "I brought you dinner."

A smile slowly brightened his face. "You did?"

I nodded and gestured toward the table. Edward grinned and stuck his head back outside the office.

"Never mind, Alice, you can go. Have a good night."

"You too, Boss," I heard her say. Then Edward returned and shut the door, and it was just the two of us. I felt silly in my jeans and hoodie. Even after a full day of work, Edward looked crisp and perfect in his tailored grey suit.

"This is a pleasant surprise," Edward said, striding over to me. He deposited a stack of files on his desk along the way. "_Please_ tell me you didn't drive your truck here."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "No, I drove the Volvo, which wasn't necessarily helpful considering it's a lot more sensitive than I'm used to. But I do think it's time to get an automatic."

Edward grinned. "Yeah, driving a stick in Seattle is an acquired skill." He was in front of me now, close enough that I could smell his aftershave. I had to look up to maintain eye contact, and he surprised me by leaning down to kiss me.

I didn't realize how tense I'd been until I sagged against him, giving into the comfort of his lips and his arms.

He ended the kiss but kept me close. "You said you brought dinner?"

I nodded. "I made Mexican."

His eyes lit up at that. "Will you stay and eat with me?"

"Sure," I agreed readily. I'd expected him to take the food and run off to his next meeting. Instead, Edward went out to Alice's work space where she had a mini-fridge and microwave tucked into the corner, and he reheated the food. I lingered in the doorway watching him.

When we finally sat down at his table to eat, I asked him about his day.

He groaned. "It's been one fiasco after another. Sometimes I don't know how this company keeps running."

I didn't know what to say to that. "Do you have more meetings tonight?"

He shook his head and chewed up a forkful of beans and rice. "No, I just finished my last one. I do have some work that has to be finished tonight, though, and it's something I can't work on at home."

Edward looked as bummed about that as I felt.

"So, Alice seems great," I ventured.

Edward smiled to himself. "She's something."

I picked at my food, trying to muster up the courage to ask him what I really wanted to know. "She said she's been working with you for three years."

Edward nodded. "I guess it would be three years now."

"She's really pretty."

Edward's brow furrowed. "I suppose so."

"You must spend a lot of time with her." I really, really tried to sound casual, but when I glanced up at Edward, his expression showed high amusement.

"Bella…are you jealous? Of Alice?"

My face grew hot and I stared down at my food. "I'm not _jealous_. I was just curious. And, you know, we never talked about the possibility of you having someone else…I was concerned. You know, for health and safety reasons."

Edward looked as if he were trying very hard not to laugh, biting the inside of his cheek even, and I felt mortified. He could see right through me.

"First of all, Bella, I expect our relationship to be completely exclusive. Secondly, there has never been anything between Alice and me, and there never will be, partly because she's in a serious relationship with a good friend of mine and partly because she's like a sister to me. And finally, you should know that you're the only woman I've wanted since I first laid eyes on you."

My face flushed even further. Was it embarrassment making me feel light-headed, or a rush of relief?

"Is that okay with you?" Edward asked.

"Which part?" If he was asking if I was okay with him wanting me and me alone, yes, that was very much okay.

"Exclusivity."

"Of course. I assumed that was part of the deal all along," I said, baffled.

"But if at some point you should decide that you want...someone else, I hope you'll tell me."

His face was an open book – a sad, lonely, vulnerable book – and I couldn't be anything less than completely honest with him.

"I don't see that happening any time soon."

His bashful smile made my day.

* * *

**A/N: I want to say a quick thank you to The Lemonade Stand and all of you who nominated this story for the fic of the week poll. A lot of new readers have shown up, and I am so happy you've enjoyed this story enough to want to share it with others.**

**Here's the long-awaited return to Q&A. Please feel free to skip.**

**Q: But then you said there won't be a traditional HEA? Or don't expect marriage yeah? We can expect togetherness with happy feelings though?**

**A: Mainly, I'm saying there probably won't be any mention of babies. But this story will end in a happy place, I promise.**

**Q: Do you update on a certain day?**

**A: Nope. I update as often as I can. I try to update every day, but it usually depends on how crazy work gets and how tired I am when I get home.**

**Q: Had a case of writer's block, huh?**

**A: I always have writer's block. Or as I call it, Minesweeper.**

**Q: Can we please have an EPOV again?**

**A: I'm sure it will happen again.**

**Q: Where is the story line going? What's the plan Stan?**

**A: I'm not much of a planner, not gonna lie.**

**Q; Are you okay? Because I can be patient for updates, but I hope nothing bad happened to you to cause your lack of update!**

**A: Lol, don't panic until I stop tweeting.**

**Q: Are there any majors Bella Swan hasn't studied in one story or another?**

**A: You know, that's gonna be my challenge. My favorites are the fics where she studies medicine. How can she be a doctor/nurse/surgeon if she can't stand the sight of blood?**

**Q: Did you know, if you put a slice of bread in a container with cookies, it keeps them from eating hard?**

**A: Handy tip! I'll try that next time I bake.**

**Q: Do you think another book in the Twilight series would ruin it, or clear things up?**

**A: I don't think another book would ruin it, but I think it would have to be drastically different from the other books which all escalate up to some major confrontation (against James, the Volturi, the newborn army, the Volturi again) and I don't think there's another big conflict to have in the series without introducing something completely new.**

**Q: So you started in the Harry Potter fandom, what was your ship?**

**A: For the most part, Harry/Hermione. I still get sad about what might have been...**

**Q: I have had a story in my had for a long time, but I can't seem to get it down on paper. How do you get your inspiration?**

**A: In my experience, genuine inspiration is hard to come by. So much of writing is just a matter of discipline and forcing yourself to write even when you'd rather be doing anything else. The more often you sit down and make yourself write, the easier it gets. Or so I hope, lol.**

**Q: Does Bill Self wear a hairpiece?**

**A: Not to my knowledge. Looks real to me.**

**Q: "edward and bella are operating on the premise that their arrangement is by mutual agreement, and it is, but it's kind of obvious that they're both thinking they want more or for it to be "real" as edward was thinking. will it be a while down the road in the story before they confess their true feelilngs to each other or do you anticipate getting to that sooner rather than later?"**

**A: At the pace I'm going...it could be a while. But they're going to have fun getting there.**

**Q: What's your favorite place at Legends to shop? Also, what year did you graduate and what school (if you don't mind my asking)?**

**A: Charming Charlie has some really cute stuff. But I spend most shopping time at the Legends in Books-A-Million. As for your second question, I graduated from Baker University in 2011.**

**Q: Do you like poptarts and peanut butter?**

**A: I can't say I've ever tried that combination. I suppose it would depend on the flavor of poptart.**

**Regarding the ongoing question of good post-BD fics, another reviewer rec'd Morning by Carson-Dyle.**

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**Just want to leave off by saying thank you. Just...thanks. And if I missed a question, please feel free to ask again. I go through my reviews looking for them, but alas, I am fallible.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Like That**

* * *

"Should I go so you can work?" I asked after Edward and I finished eating. I didn't want to leave. Twenty minutes wasn't nearly enough time for me to get my fill of Edward, but I knew the reason he'd asked me to come live with him, and it wasn't because he wanted a girlfriend interfering with his career.

"No," Edward said, leaning back in his chair. "Actually, it's going to be getting dark. Maybe you should wait and ride home with me once I've finished up here."

I liked that idea more than I would admit, and not just because his car had given me fits on the hills. "But what about the Volvo?"

Edward shrugged. "I'll have a car service pick me up in the morning and drive it home tomorrow."

"If you're sure."

He nodded. "I'm sure."

Turning to hide my smile, I rose and went to grab my bag off the couch and rummaged through it. "I brought cookies, too."

I turned around with the sandwich bag full of cookies and jumped when I came face to face with Edward.

"Cookies, huh?" He smiled down at me, but there was something more than playfulness in his eyes. "You really are perfect."

Instead of taking the cookies from me, he cupped my cheek and kissed me with warmth. I dropped the bag and curled my hand around the nape of his neck, the soft hair tickling my fingers. Edward's free hand tightened on my hip as his lips left my mouth to skim along my jaw.

"Can I tell you something, Bella?" he asked in a low voice, close to my ear. The caress of his breath made me shiver. I nodded.

"I've had you on my mind all week here at work. I've imagined taking you on every single surface in this room. Including against the bookshelves...and the windows. It's nearly impossible to keep my hands off you when I get home."

I clutched at his shoulders, afraid my wobbly knees would give out. "You don't keep your hands off me," I pointed out. Not that I was complaining.

"Because it's impossible." I felt him smile as he kissed behind my ear. His hands slipped under the hem of my sweatshirt to graze lightly over my skin.

"So which is your favorite?" I asked. His light touch made me feel feverish, hollow, and I needed to be filled.

"What?" he mumbled against my neck.

"You said you'd been fantasizing...which is your favorite?"

Edward pulled back, grinning wickedly. "You really want to know?"

I nodded. I wanted desperately to know what he'd been thinking about me. "Tell me."

"Bent over the desk," he said. A flush spread across my chest, and I took off my hoodie, leaving me in my jeans and a thin T-shirt. Edward watched carefully my every move, and with his eyes on my body, I strolled over to his large desk. With my back turned, I wet my dry lips and took a deep breath for courage.

I laid my arms flat against his desk, my bottom raised, and I looked over my shoulder at him.

"Like this?"

Edward's expression was hungry, almost feral. "The other side of the desk."

I went around the desk and resumed my position between the desk and his chair. I looked up at him in question.

"Like that," he confirmed, walking over slowly. He stepped behind me and I heard him sit in the chair.

His palms covered my behind a squeezed.

"Have I told you what a fantastic ass you have?"

I giggled nervously. "No."

"Well, it's a work of art." His hands reached around me and unfastened my jeans. My breath hitched as he pulled them down along with my underwear. The clothing caught around my feet, locking me in place, and I was grateful to be leaning on the desk for the sake of balance.

His hands rubbed up the back of my thighs and over my ass cheeks. I half-expected him to start spanking me or something, and I was trying to decide whether I liked that idea when I felt his mouth on me.

"Oh!"

I felt his lips smiling against my sex briefly before he resumed an exploration with his tongue. I put my head down on the desk and closed my eyes, concentrating only on the sensation of his hot, wet mouth open against my clit, his tongue working double-time.

My legs started to shake and I put all my weight against the desk.

Just when I was about to come, he pulled away. I whined involuntarily and looked over my shoulder to see him unbuckling his belt. His lips were wet with me, and his jaw was tight with desire.

Anticipation tingled down my spine.

Edward stood and reached into his back pocket to take out his wallet, from which he pulled out a condom. I smirked at the cliche.

Edward simply shrugged and smirked right back. "Pays to be prepared."

I couldn't argue with that. My neck was beginning to ache from watching him over my shoulder, but I couldn't look away as he pushed his slacks and boxers to the floor.

He slid on the condom, and then he was over me, his body covering mine from hands to arms to my back. I felt the head of his cock pressing against my sex as his lips pressed behind my ear.

He pushed inside.

I gasped at the fullness, the way he stretched me from this angle, the way his body felt as he pinned me to the desk.

"Why can't I ever get enough of you?" Edward whispered in my ear as he began to move inside me. He slid deep with each smooth thrust, and I could already feel my orgasm building. "I know I should leave you be, but I can't seem to help myself."

His breath was hot against my ear, and I strained back toward him. "I don't want you to leave me be."

He groaned. "Even if it means I have my hands on you every second we're together?" His cock continued to hit just the right spot, and my body was starting to tense, braced for ecstasy.

"Especially then," I moaned, curling my fingers against the desktop.

"You want me?" His tone was gruff, but there was an underlying need in his voice that made my heart clench.

"All the time," I admitted, closing my eyes. I teetered on the brink of climax, so close it hurt. As if he could sense it, Edward thrust harder and faster, pushing me into mind-blowing release. My nerves all but sang as pleasure rushed through my veins, turning my limbs to jelly and making me light-headed. I moaned unabashedly as he continued to push into me, his hips slapping against my skin, and I could hear him grunting, approaching his own release. I pushed back against him, wanting his climax almost as much as I'd wanted my own.

"Fuck, _fuck_," he cursed as his thrusts became quick and shallow. His hands tightened over mine and his breath came out in quick pants. I heard his breath hitch as he thrust deep and stilled inside me. I felt the pulse of his release, and he rested his forehead against my shoulder, letting out a low groan. His body rested heavily over mine as he caught his breath. I didn't mind. Even though we were both still dressed from the waist up and I was more than a little sweaty, I was more than content to stay where I was.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he said after a moment, pushing himself off me. "You're probably really uncomfortable right now."

I shrugged as he helped me up. My legs were kind of tired, and I was a little sore from where the desk had been digging into my body, but I felt amazing. I pulled up my jeans while Edward disposed of the condom and redressed as well.

"There's a bathroom, just there, if you want to freshen up," Edward said sheepishly. I laughed and moved toward where he pointed, but he caught my arm first.

"Just one thing," he said, and he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to my lips. It was soft and gentle and utterly at odds with what we'd just done, but it fit perfectly just the same. "There," he said. "That's what I needed."

Blushing and smiling like a goofball, I slipped away to the restroom. When I came back out, Edward had literally rolled up his sleeves and gotten to work at his computer.

"I won't be long, I promise," he told me.

"Take your time." I settled down on the couch and dug around in my bag. I had the gardening book in there to read, but I didn't want Edward to know what I was up to just yet, so I took out a novel I'd been reading instead. I'd covered a few pages when I felt my eyelids growing heavy. I was getting cold, too, but I couldn't be bothered to move enough to put on my hoodie.

The next thing I knew, Edward was saying my name. I made myself open my eyes and found myself still on the couch in his office with Edward's jacket tucked around me. A glance toward the window showed that night had fully fallen.

Edward knelt beside me, watching me wake with a rueful expression. "Sorry, it took longer than I thought it would. I should have gone ahead and let you drive home, I guess. But we can go now."

"It's okay," I said, sitting up and stretching. "Your couch is comfy."

He smiled but looked unsure, and it hurt my heart to see. "_Really_," I said, "it's okay."

His smile became a little lighter, and I reached for my hoodie to shrug it on. It was probably cold outside by now. I gave him back his jacket, and he gave me his hand in return, helping me to my feet.

"Did you get everything done you needed to?" I asked as I picked up my shoulder bag. I'd hate if he'd let anything go just for my sake.

"I did," he said with a grin. "I've done pretty well this week at not bringing any work home with me."

"That's good." I'd noticed, but I didn't dare let myself hope it was anything more than Edward being sick of working all the time. If I let myself hope he was leaving work at the office to spend more time with me, I'd probably just end up with hurt feelings.

Edward put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple, making my heart flutter. "Let's go home."

He guided me out of the office and into the elevator, where his arm stayed around me all the way down to the parking garage and continued to linger as he led me to his car. I leaned into the warmth and solidity of his body, marveling at this new life of mine, at the man walking beside me and the fact that I was the first person aside from his assistant to ever bring him a meal at work.

I wasn't sure what was wrong with Edward's past relationships, but I couldn't fathom giving up on him.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry, guys...I am le fail. I am going to blame it on me not being able to write at work as much rather than me being a lameass.**

* * *

**Q&A**

**Q: Are you OK? Are you continuing this story?**

**A: I'm fine, just a loozer who occasionally gets stuck on chapters that should not be sticky.**

**Q: Can we be friends?**

**A: Of course. I love friends.**

**Q: Who is your favorite singer/band?**

**A: I have a really hard time answering "favorites" questions because I have so many, but I guess for the ones I always come back to, it would have to be John Mayer and The Killers. I think I have a Killers song in my head for every fic I write.**

**Q: How far developed do you have to be with a story before you're comfortable posting it?**

**A: Ha, I'm so impatient, I'll just go ahead and post and then wing it.**

**Q: Is Riley gay or something?**

**A: Maaaaybe.**

**Q: Do you think if Stephanie Meyer went into a new "Twilight" series about Renesmee would you read it?**

**A: Um...maybe? I don't like Jacob that much, so having a ton of him in a story would bug me, and I'd definitely need some good E/B action for it to be worth it.**

**Q: I wonder if this James in going to become a problem?**

**A: Nahh, that storyline has been done. Just your garden variety douchebag.**

**Q: Did you get into the [Twilight] books yourself or did a friend recommend it?**

**A: Someone told me to "read the book with the apple on the cover" but I don't remember who it was.**

**Q: Is it wrong that I never have questions? **

**A: Nahh, I never have questions either.**

**Q: Would you ever write a Jeff Withey fan fic?**

**A: Bahaha, maybe a self-insert fic. Love that boy.**

**Q: You're telling me you write stories like Bonne Foi and Only Human with little planning? Seriously?**

**A: Yeah? I have a general idea of where the story will go, but I guess I like to keep things flexible and allow the characters to guide the story.**

**Q: You've mentioned twitter on a previous question, what is yours?**

**A: amethystjackson**

**Q: Do you read ffn? If so, what do you like?**

**A: Yeah, I read fanfic. I like things that are relatively low in angst, pretty much strictly E/B. I like vampire fic, whether it be twists on canon or vampire Edward meeting Bella in a different setting, but I like all-human fic too. I like friends-to-lovers stories, teenage first love, and stories like this one that revolve mostly around smut. :P**

**From a reviewer: To the QA regarding more books in the series- Read Harvest Moon by content1. I think it is the perfect completion to the series.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Hostile Makeover**

On Thursday, Edward had to work late again. I spent the day checking up on my college registration and and working in the greenhouse. Edward hadn't been kidding about his lousy gardening skills. The place was a mess, and most of my time was spent disposing of the plants that didn't make it. By the time I was done getting the new plants in the earth, I was both filthy and exhausted.

I took a long, hot shower and heated up some leftovers for dinner. I decided to head straight to bed after that. I could always read a little bit or watch TV.

Of course, by the time Edward got home at 8:30, I was fast asleep. The weight of him sitting on the bed woke me.

"Clearly, I'm not letting you rest enough," he said with a wry smile. "Are you feeling okay?"

I nodded and rubbed my eyes. "I just worked really hard today. Wore myself out, I guess."

"Oh? What were you doing?" he asked with more than casual interest.

I grinned. "It's a surprise."

"I'm intrigued." He stretched out on the bed beside me, still fully clothed save his jacket, tie and shoes. "Well, whatever you were doing today, did you have fun?"

"I did." It came as a surprise, really, but I loved the sense of accomplishment I'd gotten out of setting up the garden.

"Good," he smiled. "I wanted to ask you, do you have any plans for tomorrow night?"

I shook my head. "No, of course not."

"Would you like to go out with me?" he asked, looking at me through his gold-tipped eyelashes. "I thought perhaps we could go out to dinner. I've decided I'm leaving work at six whether everything is done or not."

That he would bother to ask me on a date given our arrangement made my heart skip a beat. "I'd love that."

Edward's smile came quickly and easily. "I'll make reservations."

My eyebrows furrowed at that. Reservations? I wasn't used to the kinds of places that required reservations. For the past couple years, going to the one diner in Forks had been a luxury.

Edward noticed the change in my expression. "What's wrong?"

My cheeks flushed. I couldn't shake my embarrassment, irrational as it was. "I'm not sure I have anything appropriate to wear to a place where you need reservations. I'm not even sure what _is _appropriate."

Edward's eyes softened as his intuition picked up on what I wasn't saying. "Bella, that's hardly a personal failing. We can go somewhere more relaxed."

I felt like an idiot. "No, I want to do whatever you had in mind, really. And I definitely need to update my wardrobe. But I feel so out of my depth. I just need to suck it up and go shopping."

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Why don't I send Alice shopping with you tomorrow?"

The thought of spending the day with someone I didn't know well and who might very well find my fashion inadequacies as ridiculous as I knew they were was...uncomfortable, to say the least. But I didn't say that.

"Won't Alice mind being sent out to help me pick out clothes? I mean, that can't be in her job description."

Edward let out an incredulous snort. "Are you kidding? There's nothing Alice loves more in the world than shopping. It'll make her whole week. And I'll make a confession here – Alice picks out all of my suits for me; I don't have the faintest clue. I just go in for the fittings."

"Really?" Edward always seemed so put-together, even when he wasn't in his work clothes. I couldn't picture him being as sartorially clueless as I was.

"Truly." His smile was a little shy. "When I started working at Cullen Enterprises, I was fresh out of college. I didn't have the slightest clue how to dress. With my mom sick and my dad focused on her, and my uncle focused on running a company, there wasn't really anyone to help me. Alice was working in the marketing department at the time, and once she caught sight of me, she initiated what I like to call a hostile makeover."

I snickered. "That...is a really bad pun."

"I know," he grinned, "But honestly, it's what she does. She loves dressing people. She'd be thrilled to get some time away from me and get paid to shop for someone else. And she likes you, so I know she'd do it in a heartbeat. If you'd like."

"She likes me?" Maybe I should take the offer. I could get the expansion of my wardrobe over with, and maybe I'd make a new friend in the process. Edward thought highly of her; I could hear it in the tone with which he spoke of her, and it made me feel a twinge of jealousy even after his assurances from the night before.

"She thinks you're good for me. I think she's right about that, too."

There was nothing I could say to that without giving myself away. "If you really don't think she would mind, I could use her help."

"I'll have her come get you tomorrow morning."

* * *

True to his word, Edward called me around nine the next morning to warn me that Alice was on her way. Fortunately, I'd woken early and had already showered and dressed, so there was nothing for me to do but wait. I killed some time watering the plants in the greenhouse, then spent the rest of my wait pacing the foyer.

Alice turned up in a sleek silver car sporting a wide grin.

"This is _awesome_, Bella. Do you know how long I've been waiting for the day I could get paid to shop? And in the company car, no less."

I smiled at her enthusiasm. "I'm happy for you, truly. But I should warn you...I'm really not that into shopping."

She shrugged and led the way to the car. "Edward said that. Don't worry, I'm a very efficient shopper."

We climbed into the car and Alice made quick work of pulling out of the driveway.

"So, let's make a plan of attack," Alice said, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. "What kinds of things do you need?"

I looked out the window, embarrassed. "Well, everything, I guess. I haven't really bought anything new in the past couple of years."

Alice, bless her, didn't ask why. "So we'll have to start with the basics. Do you need new underwear?"

I blushed. My panties were the perfectly respectable white cotton kind that came in ten-packs, but they weren't exactly sexy. My bras were pretty much the same. "Yeah, I think so."

"Okay." Alice was thoughtful. "Underwear to start with. Edward said you'll be going back to school. So casual clothes – jeans and tops and stuff. And definitely a nice dress for tonight. And shoes, you can't forget shoes. What kind of budget are we working with?"

I hadn't really thought about that. "Well, I know I'll have to spend to get everything I need, but I want to be frugal about it."

"The good news is, I know how to shop on a budget," Alice said with a firm nod. "And the best news is, Victoria's Secret is having a big sale right now."

* * *

True to her word, Alice was a very efficient shopper. Mostly, she flitted around sale racks and brought me things to try on, which worked pretty well. She was good at picking things I would like, grasping quickly that I preferred to keep it simple.

Within just a couple hours, she had me loaded up with more clothing than I'd ever thought I would buy. We hadn't found a dress for tonight yet, but Alice said she had a plan for that and we could work on it after lunch.

We went to a local deli to eat. Once we were seated with our sandwiches, Alice began to ask the questions she'd surely been holding back all morning.

"So...how did you and Edward get together, anyway?"

I stalled by munching on a potato chip and taking a sip of Coke. "How much has he told you?"

"The bare minimum," Alice groused. "Men, I swear. I know he contacted you about your application to the Foundation and that he wanted to help you out, but that's it."

I shrugged. "That's basically it. He called me and wanted to meet with me, so we had dinner and things just sort of...progressed from there."

"Apparently, if you're already living with him," Alice teased.

I shifted uncomfortably, afraid she would hit too close to the truth. "It's crazy, I know, but..."

"Not crazy," Alice said. "When you know, you know. When I met Jasper, I knew right away that he was the man I was going to marry. And I did. Sometimes gut instincts are right."

I didn't allow myself to consider what my gut was telling me about Edward. He wanted the semblance of a relationship without the hassle...the last thing I needed was to complicate things for myself.

"So how is it working out so far?" Alice asked. "Living with him and all."

"It's great," I said honestly. "He's worked really hard to make me feel at home. He's kind of perfect."

"Even though he works all the time?" Alice said with a raised eyebrow, and I had a feeling she was testing me. Based on what I knew of Edward's past relationships, I didn't blame her for being protective.

"I'd love to have him around more, of course," I said, "but I know how he feels about his work. I wouldn't want to get in the way of that. And I don't mind being on my own."

Alice just nodded in response, but I had a feeling I'd passed her test.

* * *

"Alice...I have a feeling this store is a little out of my comfort zone," I said, eying the designer labels advertised in the window.

"Just trust me," Alice urged, pushing me through the double doors. "We can always go somewhere else."

I walked forward reluctantly, and Alice led me not to the racks of dresses but to the checkout counter.

"Hi, I'm Alice Brandon," she said to the clerk. "I called earlier. Do you have it?"

"We do, Ms. Brandon," the tall, leggy, blonde clerk said. Just standing near her made me feel about two feet tall. "Right this way."

Alice and I followed the clerk in her little black dress back to the dressing rooms, where she gestured us into a room that was entirely too large to be justifiable as a changing area. There were multiple armchairs in the room, for goodness' sake.

"Let me know if you need _anything,_ Ms. Brandon," the blonde said before leaving us to it. I turned in a circle, taking in my surroundings, and stopped when I saw a dress hanging on the wall.

It was knee-length, a lovely deep purple combination of lace and what looked like silk to me, but I couldn't be sure. What I did know was that it was exactly what I wanted.

"Alice? What is all this?"

"Just try the dress on, and then I'll explain. And don't forget to try the shoes with it. The shoes are everything."

I glanced down to the floor beneath the dress and saw a pair of shoes the exact color of the dress waiting for me. The heels were higher than I would normally feel comfortable with.

"I'll try it," I conceded, but I didn't know if I could commit to those shoes.

Alice ducked outside, and I reluctantly took off my clothes to try on yet another garment. The dress went on easily, and it blessedly had a side zipper that saved me from doing contortions to get it fastened. It fit like a glove, and I had to admit, I felt good in it. It was rare that I felt anything other than shapeless in my clothes, but this dress gave me actual curves.

I did as I was told and put on the shoes as well before looking over my reflection in the mirror.

Alice was a horrible manipulator. She had to know I'd want this dress as soon as I put it on. The problem was money. Even though I was very well taken care of for now, thanks to Edward, I wanted to be prudent with my funds. I had no contract with Edward; there was no guarantee of how long our arrangement would last. Even I wasn't sure how long I wanted it to last...every day I grew more conflicted. But either way, the money he'd given me was a blessing, and I wasn't about to waste it on a dress I would wear only once.

I looked the dress up and down for a price tag, but I couldn't find one.

"Alice?" I called.

She peeked her head in the doorway. "Oh, Bella, it's _perfect_ on you," she gushed, stepping into the room. "Do you like it?"

"I love it. But it seems to be missing a price tag."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, let me just say first off that this is almost entirely Edward's doing. I just picked out the dress."

I waited, eyes narrowed. "Yes?"

"Edward already paid for the dress. And the shoes. He said he wanted you to have something nice and that you weren't used to spending money on yourself, so he told me to pick out a dress for you and put it on his card."

I opened my mouth to protest. This was just too much.

"He _also_ said that you would probably have a problem with that, and he wanted me to tell you, and I quote, 'Just wear the damn dress, Bella.'"

I closed my mouth and looked in the mirror again. Edward was right that I wouldn't want to splurge on myself. It just wasn't something I'd ever been at liberty to do. I wished I knew why that was a problem for him.

"I guess I wouldn't want to embarrass Edward tonight," I mumbled.

Alice shook her head at me. "Bella, that's not what this is about."

I shrugged. "I guess it's time to change and go home, then. I need to get ready for tonight."

"You do need to get ready, but you're not going home."

* * *

Alice took me to a salon which, she claimed, was also on Edward's orders. I wasn't sure I felt any better about it than I did the dress, but Alice not so subtly told me Edward's feelings would be hurt if I kicked up a fuss, so I submitted with as much grace as I could muster while stylists tried to make me pretty.

Manicure. Pedicure. Make-up. Hair. I felt like a human Barbie doll.

By the time all was said and done, it was close to six, and Alice took me back to the office with her so I could meet Edward there. I felt ridiculous walking around all done-up in this dress and the heels, and the stares I garnered as we went didn't make me feel any better.

When we got into the elevator, I realized I was nervous as hell. After all the gussying up Edward had put me through today...what if he wasn't satisfied with the result?

The elevator dinged and my stomach twisted.

* * *

**A/N: I'll get back to Q&A the next time I post. As you can see, there wasn't a fantastic place to end this chapter, but I didn't want to keep you waiting. Probably won't have a post for you tomorrow, what with it being BD-Day, but I'm definitely trying for Friday.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Someday**

* * *

Alice went to her desk, and I followed meekly, eying the doors to Edward's office with trepidation. So far, our time together had been spent largely at home. Naked. I worried I wouldn't live up to expectations.

"Edward, are you ready for Bella?"

Edward's voice came back through Alice's intercom, slightly garbled. "I'll be right out."

I chewed on my lip and clutched my hands together.

"Careful, Bella, you'll get lipstick on your teeth," Alice warned. I froze and frantically reached up to scrub at my teeth.

That was when Edward walked out. I dropped my arm hastily, then dropped my jaw as well.

Edward had changed - I could tell because his shirt wasn't wrinkled - and his dark grey pants and blazer paired with a light blue shirt made the reddish highlights in his hair stand out and displayed his body to terrific effect.

While I was gawking at him, his eyes roamed from my head to my toes and back again. I met his eyes, and what I saw there made my knees weak.

"You look incredible," Edward murmured, still staring. "I mean, you are always beautiful, but right now, you are intimidatingly gorgeous."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Alice does good work."

Edward shook his head. "Alice is good at picking out clothes, but you're the one wearing that dress."

"I concur. And on that note, I'm out for the day," Alice announced. "You lovebirds have fun tonight."

"Thanks, Alice," Edward said, but his eyes remained on me.

"Really, thank you," I said, turning to see the self-satisfied smile on her face. "I actually had fun today."

"Anytime." She gave me a quick hug, and then with a wave, headed back to the elevator.

My eyes returned immediately to Edward. The way he looked right now, I was kind of hoping he'd drag me into his office and have his way with me, and the way he looked at me said he was thinking the same, but he stepped quietly up to me instead.

"Truly, you look amazing," Edward said, taking my hands in his. "Did you really have fun today? I know Alice can be...very energetic."

"She was great. I really like her," I assured him.

"Good, I'm glad." He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, brushing softly. In automatic reaction, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back. His hand fell to my hips, clenching and releasing compulsively.

I thought things were about to get really good, but he pulled away, eyes closed.

"We need to go to dinner now," he said quietly. I pouted but forced myself to smile once he opened his eyes.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he led me to the elevator. I was hyper-aware of his hand on the small of my back.

"Just a little place downtown."

* * *

The "little place" turned out to be one of the most exclusive restaurants in Seattle. I tried to act confident and calm as I walked in on Edward's arm, but once I sat down in our booth and saw the prices on the menu, I felt like hyperventilating.

"This place is...wow," I said, trying to get over my sticker shock. It was a really nice place. The booth was comfortable and private. The lights were soft, increasing the intimate atmosphere, and the whole room was easy on the eyes - not that I would spend much time looking at anything but the man across from me. The top button of his shirt was undone, showing his neck and Adam's apple, the hollow of his throat. I could see his five o'clock shadow coming in along his jaw.

How was I supposed to eat when I only wanted to crawl across the table and lick him?

"I've only been here once before, for a business dinner, but the food was great," Edward said, smiling crookedly. "I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will," I said, scanning the menu for something recognizable. The waiter turned up - although maybe he shouldn't be called a waiter in a place like this - to fill our water glasses and take our drink orders.

I felt a moment of panic, guessing that I wouldn't be getting a Coca-Cola here, but Edward ordered a bottle of wine for us.

He didn't ask to see my ID. Knowing this place, the fine for serving liquor to the under-aged was probably less than the average server's tips on a night.

"So...this is...different," I ventured.

Edward's eyes turned wary. "Different in a bad way?"

"No, I don't think so. I guess I just don't understand why you're doing all this. The date...the dress, the salon...the wining and dining. I mean...don't guys usually do this kind of thing when they're looking to get laid?"

Edward choked on the sip of water he was taking. "Bella, what on earth...? This isn't some scheme. Do you really think so little of me?"

"No, of course not!" I fidgeted, feeling guilty and uncomfortable. "I just don't know why you would bother with all this for me."

Edward tilted his head, his gaze relaxing marginally. "Bella, do you remember what I said to you when we first spoke on the phone?"

Of course I remembered. I remembered the soothing warmth of his voice, the way I'd cried like a baby when he told me he wanted to help _me _recover.

"Oh." I let out a breath.

He smiled gently. "I just wanted to you feel...taken care of. You've sacrificed so much without ever seeming to really think of it as sacrifice, and that makes me want to completely spoil you."

I blushed and looked down at the table. "That's...well, thank you. I've never had...anything like today. But I also feel like it's too much. You've already freed me from my debt. You gave me my life back. And for you to keep doing more...it feels entirely out of balance."

Edward's eyes, so piercingly green, were serious as they trained on my face. "Bella, that you feel that way tells me you deserve more than I could ever give you. Do you really think so little of what you're giving me in return?"

I smiled wryly. "It's not exactly a hardship."

A flush of pink appeared over Edward's cheekbones, and the sight was so adorable that my heart skipped a beat. I cleared my throat and returned my attention to the menu before me.

"So...I have no idea what to get."

Edward grinned. "Neither do I, actually."

We spent several minutes discussing the options, the appetizers and the entrees. Our waiter returned with the wine and after weighing in on our deliberations, finally took our order. I liked the wine more than I thought I would, and toward the end of the meal I realized I was getting more than a little tipsy.

"I think you _are_ trying to get in my pants – by getting me drunk," I accused, feeling the flush of alcohol all through my body.

He took a sip of his own wine, hiding his smirk. I liked his smirk. It made me want to lick his face. "If I'm guilty of anything, it's of overestimating your tolerance for alcohol."

I frowned. "My head feels funny."

"Drink some water. It will help." I was unnaturally focused on the way his lips moved.

"I think…we should go home soon," I said, taking a few gulps of water.

"Do you want to stay for dessert?" he asked. I shook my head. I wanted two things – to stop feeling so dizzy and to get Edward somewhere away from prying eyes.

"Okay. I'll ask for the check," he said, signaling to the waiter who was at a nearby table. The server took Edward's credit card, and I fidgeted while we waited some more. I made the questionable decision of throwing down the last of my wine, which went straight to my head, and when we finally left, Edward put his arm around me to keep me fully upright. I was a little shaky in my high heels.

Outside, the fresh air helped, but in the car there was nothing to do but look at Edward. It was really sort of absurd that he could make driving so sexy. The way his arms moved, his hands…the look of concentration on his face that was so similar to the way he looked when he was just about to –

"Did I mention you look really, really good tonight?" I blurted out. "I mean…really good."

"Thank you," he chuckled, glancing my way. "I'm going to pretend that's not just the wine talking."

I snorted unbecomingly. "It's not the wine. You always look good. Especially in suits. I mean, you look good in anything, but tonight, you're like…extra hot."

Because it was dark, I couldn't be sure…but I thought he looked embarrassed.

"I want you right now," I said, unthinking. "Like, _now_ now."

His jaw clenched and he abruptly turned down a dirt road away from the flow of traffic. He pulled to the side, right up against the cover of trees.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" Edward asked as he put the car in park. It was probably a rhetorical question, but I responded anyway.

"I have no idea. You should probably show me. A lot."

"Backseat. Now," he growled, shoving his door open. I hastened to follow, but he was quicker than I was in my high heels. When I got into the backseat, he was already sitting in the center. His eager hands grabbed me and dragged me into his lap.

I straddled him and kissed him hard, wanting everything at once. He groped at me through my dress, but it wasn't enough, not when I could feel the hard ridge of his cock through his trousers, right up against where I really needed it.

I ground against him and kissed everywhere I could find skin, his lips and his jaw and his neck. His head fell back against the seat as I nipped at him. A sudden urge to take his cock into my mouth overcame me, but I didn't think there was room for that in the backseat, and his moan turned into a whimper when I shared that thought with him.

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" he groaned. He tugged at the bottom of my dress, pushing it up to my hips, and he yanked so hard at my panties that they ripped – so he tore them off completely. It sort of hurt, but it was also really hot, so I wasn't going to complain.

"Touch me," I begged. Edward's hands were on my thighs, but I needed so much more.

His fingers were sliding against my wet sex in the next instant, his thumb circling my clit.

"Yes," I hissed, clutching his shoulders. He pushed two fingers inside me and my eyes rolled back. Edward knew just what he was doing. His fingers worked expertly, hitting all the right spots, just hard enough, just fast enough. But there was something I still wanted.

Kissing him again, I began to undo his belt. When my fingers found their way inside his slacks, he tensed.

"Shit – Bella, I don't think I have a condom."

That wouldn't do at all. "Can't we go without? The instructions for the pill said I'd be good by now." And with his fingers still working me closer and closer to the edge, I was more than good to go.

His touching slowed. "We still haven't been tested."

"I should be clean. I've never done it without a condom," I admitted. "And I trust you."

"It's a risk," he murmured. "Are you sure?"

"There's always a chance," I said, touching my forehead to his. "Please, I need you now."

"Like I could ever say no when you say 'please' like that," he said. His voice trembled, and so did my hand as I reached to free his cock from its confines. He pulled me closer, lowering me down, and I gasped when I felt him slip inside.

It was so, so different. Where I was used to latex, now there was nothing but soft skin, an infinitely more intimate sensation. A knot formed in my throat and all the frantic lust of the moment prior shifted into something else, something that made me hide my face against Edward's shoulder lest my expression show something it shouldn't.

"My God, Bella." His voice was little more than a breath against my ear. The notion that he might be as awed by this moment as I was made my head spin, and then he lifted his hips and all thought flew from my head. I began to rock as he pushed, and the undeniable rhythm took over. We remained pressed close, close enough that his breath fell in quick pants against my cheek, and I could hear every grunt, every hitch in his breathing, every soft moan. Undoubtedly he could hear me, too. There would be no hiding what it did to me, having him so deep, so close, so smooth and hot inside me.

I'd been close enough when we started that it didn't take long for the pleasure to swell and crest. My release was a long, low burn, working its way through my body like a drug within my veins, striking deep – reaching a place that was beyond physical, something that came through as a tug in my chest, a happiness bordering on pain.

I didn't think the word.

I couldn't. I'd only been with Edward for a week, and this was supposed to be a _fake_ relationship, not a real one.

I came down slowly, dragged down by harsh reality, my hand curled around the nape of Edward's neck and my chest pressed tightly to his. I wanted to cry. When Edward pressed his open lips to my neck as he released inside me, I almost did. The warm vibration of his moan against my skin made me clutch him tighter. I suspected I would never be able to let go now.

Before I pulled back to see his face, I blinked rapidly, dissipating any tears waiting to fall. The evidence of that something growing in my heart would have to remain hidden. It was too soon. Maybe someday, he would feel that something, too…but until then, it would have to be my secret.

Edward sighed against my shoulder, a contented sound.

"We should still get tested tomorrow," he whispered. I winced.

"Are you worried?" My voice didn't mask my defensiveness like it should.

"Not in the least." He sat back, meeting my eyes. "But I want you to have that peace of mind. And just so you know…I've never gone without a condom, either."

"Never?" This was a surprise, and I could feel a ridiculous smile forming on my lips.

"Never," he confirmed. "You were worried, weren't you?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, of course not. I meant it when I said I trusted you."

His hands were on my hips beneath my dress, thumbs stroking gently. "Then why are you smiling like that?"

I shrugged like I didn't really know. "I guess I just like that this was a first for both of us."

A warm smile graced his lovely face, a smile that formed crinkles at the corner of his eyes, and I began to hope that _someday_ wasn't so far away.

* * *

**A/N: So…by "Friday" I clearly meant "eight days from now." Sorry about that. These two just keep taking so long to do what they need to do. This was supposed to be a drabble type fic for goodness' sake. Tsk.**

**The good (sort of) news is that I'm working massive hours for the next, oh, month? And I have nowhere near enough to do to fill all that time...and I write so well at work.**

* * *

Q&A Time – and I apologize, there's a bajillion because I'm doing them for two chapters' worth of reviews:

**Story-Related Questions**

Q: Do you have an update schedule?

A: As you can see, no, I do not…and even if I had one, I'm sure I would always be late. I use up all of my responsibility getting to work on time every day…there's just not enough to go around.

Q: Are you planning to include Jacob in this story?

A: No plans for him as yet. If he does show up, it'll be drama-free.

Q: Do you have a picture of the dress?

A: Sorry, no. It exists only in my imagination.

Q: So…appearance of the hidden girly parts – what would Bella do?

A: I don't see her going for a wax any time soon. I mean, for one, that costs money – unless you're crazy enough to wax your cooch at home – and she hasn't had disposable income for a while. I see her as going for an electric bikini trimmer or something of the sort. Neat and tidy, but definitely not bare.

Q: Bella has said that she would visit her dad on Sundays, but since that lazy, lolling in bed Sunday for Edward, would she consider visiting him another day?

A: A lot of people have wondered this. My reply is – why couldn't Edward move his lazy day to Saturday? We'll see what develops. We're just reaching their first weekend together, after all.

Q: Could you tell us some of the Killers songs you've had in your head [for fics]?

A: Sure. For Only Human and Anatomy of a Human, it's "Bones" from _Sam's Town_ (bet you thought I'd say "Human"). For Bonne Foi, "Midnight Show" from _Hot Fuss._ For Madman's Mercy, "My List" from _Sam's Town_. For The Learning Curve, "Read My Mind" from _Sam's Town_. And for this one, "Deadlines and Commitments" from their latest, _Battle Born._

Q: I'm not sure if you're aware if this, and it really doesn't matter to the story, but since I read this all the time in stories, I thought I'd mention it? - I'm pretty sure condoms get damaged in wallets. I think men are supposed to avoid putting them in there because the heat and friction can cause the condom to deteriorate.

A: Be warned, readers! Do NOT follow Edward's example.

* * *

**RL-type Questions**

Q: How did you spend Thanksgiving?

A: All of my family lives nearby, so we always do the big Thanksgiving dinner in the early afternoon with all the aunts and uncles and cousins. Usually, I'd go with my cousins to see a movie or something, but several cousins were missing this year – getting older sucks – so I went home and napped instead.

Q: What are your thoughts about the fact that Breaking Dawn was released in Italy 2 days before the US?

A: I didn't know that…must be the Volturi's doing. Aro seems like kind of a diva, after all.

Q: How's A Madman's Mercy coming?

A: It's…well, it's there. I need to buckle down and focus on it tomorrow.

Q: What is the color of your favorite dress?

A: It's a red and white striped sundress. I don't have much occasion for cocktail dresses, I'm afraid.

Q: What would be your dream job?

A: Getting paid to write fanfic. But since that probably won't become legal anytime soon, I'd love to be able to live off original writing.

Q: Do you prefer the [Twilight] books or the movies?

A: Oh, the books, by far. I became very frustrated with the movies after Breaking Dawn Part 1 and I decided to reread the books. Rediscovering the characters is reminding me how sharp and snarky Bella is and how complex Edward is…and it's just amazing how much the movies distort the characters. Part of the problem, I think, is Rosenberg's screenwriting, and another problem is the actors. I won't name names. I will say, though, that Breaking Dawn Part 2 was a vast, vast improvement.

Q: How old are you?

A: 24 :)

Q: Do you know how awesome you are answering questions we ask? it makes you seem so cool.

A: I appreciate you thinking so. It's probably just really self-centered of me...but if people like it, I'm not going to feel too guilty.

Q: Have you read Antiques Roadshow? If so did you like it?

A: I have not. Who's the author?

Q: Have you ever done NaNoWriMo?

A: I tried once while I was in college, but I didn't get very far. I always mean to clear my slate for it each year, and then November rolls around and I've got a million things to do. I wish they'd move it to, like, January. I never have anything to do in January.

Q: Did you read Master of the Universe before it was 50 Shades? Are you interested in the story now that it has exploded?

A: I had read it, yes. I was on a Comic Con panel with "Icy" as she was known then back in 2010, and I decided I should probably read it. I like her very much, but I do fundamentally disagree with publishing fanfic, no matter how far it's drifted from the original.

Q: My birthstone is an amethyst...what's yours?

A: Not amethyst, actually. Mine's alexandrite or pearl.

Q: PS. Seeing The Killers in December! :D

A: Crazy jealous. I looked up their tour dates and they're not coming anywhere near me.

Q: Are you on Facebook?

A: I have an RL facebook that I haven't actually logged onto in probably two years. So...pretty much no.


	24. Chapter 24

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

_**Previously in The Cullen Enterprise: Bella and Edward ended their first week together with a Friday-night date in which Bella flirted with the L-word.**_

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Smack**

EPOV

I woke early on Saturday simply out of habit. After the night I'd had with Bella - the dinner, the wine, the life-altering sex with Bella in the car and the second round after we got home - I should have slept much later, but my internal clock apparently wasn't aware.

Bella slept beside me on her stomach, arms curled around her pillow. I could see just a hint of breast before the sheet covered the rest of her naked body. I'd woken up hard, like a damned teenager, and now I was guaranteed to stay that way.

I had plans for today. Since Bella would be going to Forks tomorrow, it was important to get a few things done today - like testing for STDs and shopping for a new car for Bella - but now I wanted nothing more than to roll around in bed with her all day.

I'd heard of sex addiction, but was it possible to be addicted to sex with one particular person? I wanted her with a constancy that I'd never experienced before. She seemed to linger in the background of every waking thought and always came to center stage in my dreams.

Unable to help myself, I brushed her dark hair back and trailed my fingers over the porcelain skin stretched across her shoulders.

Her beauty still bowled me over. She was so unlike the women I'd dated - women always trying to be prettier, always making adjustments, trying new make-up and new hair colors, following fad diets. Bella was younger than those women, but I couldn't imagine time diminishing her beauty. She was simply too pure. Untainted.

She stirred under my grazing fingertips and blinked her sleepy brown eyes.

"Morning," she mumbled. "Why are you awake so early?"

"Habit." I ran my hand down her back, and it made her shiver. "But we do have a lot to do today."

"I don't suppose you mean a lot of laying around in bed?"

I laughed at her vaguely grumpy tone. "I mean we need to get you a car, for starters."

She groaned. "I don't want to."

"Either we get you a car or I'm driving you to Forks and back tomorrow. Your choice."

She sighed. "Fine. But do we have to get up right now?"

"We probably should." A few more minutes in this bed with her would guarantee us not leaving the house before noon.

As if she sensed my weakness, she closed the distance between us and pressed her naked body against mine. Her smooth thigh hitched against my hip as her soft breasts pushed into my chest and her lips grazed the underside of my jaw.

"Just a few more minutes?" she pleaded, little more than a breathy whisper against my ear, and my already hard cock answered her with a vehement yes.

"A few," I conceded, sliding my hands down her back to cup her ass. She nibbled on my earlobe and I rolled onto my back with her.

"Bet I could convince you to stay in bed all day," she said, rubbing her sex against my cock.

"I have no doubt," I groaned.

"But we have things to do," she sighed dramatically, lifting up and twirling away from me, off the bed and toward the bathroom. "But since we have so much to do today, I guess I should get in the shower," she sighed, sauntering to the bathroom in all her naked glory.

I watched agape, my cock wanting and my mind trying to catch up to what had just happened.

I slowly smiled to myself as I realized Bella had an inner vixen, and she'd come out to play this morning. This would be fun.

I pushed myself off the bed and followed after her. The bathroom door was ajar in what I took as an invitation, and water was running in the shower. I stepped in and just watched for a moment. Bella's form was blurry behind the frosted glass door, but I could see her back arched as she tilted her head under the spray, her breasts thrust forward. I was helpless to resist that kind of temptation.

She didn't notice me until I climbed into the shower behind her.

"It's not nice to tease," I said, pulling her naked form into my arms.

Bella pursed her lips. "It's not nice to wake a girl up early and tell her she has to get out of bed."

"I didn't mean to wake you." I kissed her pouty bottom lip by way of apology. "I do think you meant to tease me, though."

"Oh yeah? What do you plan to do about that?" she asked, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

I knew exactly what I planned to do, but I contemplated the possibilities anyway. "I could always spank you," I offered.

Her breath hitched. "Spank me?"

I managed not to let my absolute delight show. "Do you like that? Do you think you need to be spanked, Isabella?"

"Maybe?" she hesitated. "I guess I have been a...bad girl."

She spoke haltingly, unsure, and it was painfully adorable.

"You've been a _very_ bad girl," I said sternly. "Tempting me until I'm desperate for you, then teasing me."

"How was I tempting you? I was asleep," she argued playfully.

"Put your hands on the wall," I said, her sassy attitude only serving to turn me on more.

She wet her lips and obeyed. With her palms against the tiles and her ass pushed toward me, she was a vision - a big part of me wanted to abandon the game and take her.

"Yes, you were sleeping, but you were still tempting me," I said and landed a light slap to her left butt cheek. "You're always tempting me." A smack to the right. Her lips parted and I saw her toes curling against the shower floor. "Every time I wake up and see the shape of your body beneath the sheets." Smack. "Every time I hear you laugh." Smack. "Every time you bite your lip." Smack. I leaned in close, feeling her body tremble as I placed my lips against her ear. "Everything you do makes me want you."

She turned her head toward me, looking at me from beneath lust-lowered lashes. "I'm not sorry," she panted.

I groaned and grabbed her by the hips, pushing into her. My eyes rolled back in my head at how wet she was. God help me, she liked to be spanked.

"Hard," she pleaded over her shoulder. "I want it hard."

"It doesn't feel hard to you?" I teased, silencing any retort with a strong thrust. Bella didn't have to ask me twice. I was more than ready to lose control, and if she wanted hard...

The bathroom echoed with the sounds of slapping hips, my grunts and Bella's moans. I felt lost, unable to stop or slow down even if I wanted to, a condition I was afraid was not limited to my body. In this moment, though, there was no room for introspection. There was only steam and Bella's hot, slick body.

Teetering on the edge of climax, I reached down to her sex and rubbed circles around her swollen clit. Her body arched back into me, she turned to look at me over her shoulder, and the desire in her big brown eyes sent me over the edge.

* * *

"I need a nap. That was exhausting."

I had to agree. The rest of our Saturday was much less stimulating than our morning shower activities. We'd had a quick breakfast, then gone to have our testing done, which had revealed Bella's extreme aversion to needles and blood, ending with a fainting spell. I'd quickly ushered her off to lunch, figuring some food would probably be a good idea for her.

Next we'd had to decide where to procure a new vehicle for Bella, which had started out as an argument between a luxury dealer and a used car lot, and eventually ended at the compromise of the Toyota dealership.

After haggling until I was sure Bella had the best price and the best safety features available, I parted with Bella to allow her to drive home her new Corolla. Now we were home, and it was late in the afternoon, and I was realizing I only had a handful of hours with her until she left to visit her father.

It hit me then that I was afraid. I was afraid Bella would go home and decide she wanted to stay with her father. Could I blame her if she did? There was nothing I regretted more than not spending every moment I had with my mother before she passed. If Bella decided she was wasting her time with me, it would make perfect sense. I wouldn't be angry with her; I would simply go back to the quiet...to the loneliness.

"A nap sounds like a good idea," I said, watching Bella set her new keys next to mine on the foyer table.

"Then let's go," she said, heading for the stairs. I followed her to what I could only call our bedroom – she already had a claim on it that would not go away soon – and watched her toe off her tennis shoes. She was shy as she stripped down to her T-shirt and underwear, barely meeting my eyes, but I was captivated. How she could be so adorable and so sexy at the same time was a mystery to me.

I shed my clothes until I was in a similar barely-dressed state and followed her into bed. She didn't come to me, but I couldn't resist her lure. I spooned unashamedly against her back, holding her to me with one arm and nuzzling my nose right into her sweetly-scented hair. The window was open, letting in a midsummer breeze and golden rays of sunlight.

If there was anything closer to heaven, I'd yet to find it.

* * *

**A/N: I'll keep it short. I'm sorry I haven't updated. No good excuses to be had, just a long stretch of blahness. I know I promised frequent updates on this one, and I'm sorry for the false advertising. I'm going to try to get back on track.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Title: The Cullen Enterprise**

**Author: Amethyst Jackson**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: Bella has no idea how she's going to continue supporting herself and her recovering father on her meager income…until a certain CEO waltzes in with an offer she can't refuse.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are in no way mine, and that is why I am making absolutely ZERO dollars off this story. And the idea isn't all that original, either, so I'm really not making any claims here.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Miss You**

As excited as I was to see my dad, leaving Edward wasn't easy. I'd made sure to get up early in order to get on the road, knowing the three hours to Forks and the three hours back would eat up most of the day. I hadn't counted on how hard it would be to pull myself from Edward's arms - both figuratively and literally. He had one solid grip.

The sun was just starting to really light up the neighborhood when I got downstairs. I watered the plants in the greenhouse - I hoped Edward wouldn't go in there while I was gone and ruin the surprise - and then packed up the food I'd prepared for Charlie.

I had to admit, I was happy with my new car. I didn't have to worry about it stalling as I made my way out of Edward's neighborhood and onto the highway to Forks.

Edward had been impossible yesterday, from his smothering attention after my fainting spell to his insistence on my buying the safest vehicle on the market. I'd wanted something gently used, but at least we'd come to a reasonable compromise. As much as I wanted to assert my independence as a matter of principle, it did feel like I was spending his money and I wanted his approval.

The drive to Forks was long, but it helped having a thermos of Edward's fancy coffee and a nice, new stereo to listen to.

When I pulled into the driveway of the house I'd called home just a week ago, I sent a quick text to Edward letting him know I'd arrived safely, per his request. He replied immediately, reminding me to text before I left Forks, and it made me wonder what he was doing. I knew he planned to work today, so I doubted he was still in bed. Was he sitting down to breakfast alone? Was he already ensconced in his office? Did he feel as weird about me being away as I did?

I found Charlie in kitchen with a plate of scrambled eggs and a cup of black coffee. He was still in his bathrobe and flannel pajama pants.

"Hi, Dad," I said, carrying an armful of tupperware containers to the fridge. Charlie jumped up to help, but not quickly enough.

"Hey, Bells. I didn't hear your truck," he said, giving me an awkward, one-armed hug.

"Oh. Yeah, I actually got a new car. Didn't seem like a good idea to keep driving the truck back and forth."

What followed were a million questions about the car, its safety features, its warrantee, whether I could afford the payments, and what I planned to do with the truck.

"Sell it for parts?" I suggested. "I'll figure it out soon."

"The Blacks might like it back," Charlie said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You know Jake likes working on cars."

I shrugged. "Why don't you ask next time you see them? Come on, I didn't get a chance to inspect the fridge earlier."

* * *

_Edward_

My Sunday was a complete wash.

For years now, it seemed, I'd followed the same routine. Work hard Monday through Saturday, be lazy on Sunday. This weekend, I'd deliberately saved my extra work for Sunday, knowing that a lazy Sunday would not be the same without Bella now, and knowing I wouldn't want to waste the Saturday I had with Bella working.

Unfortunately, as soon as I heard Bella pull out of the garage, I knew I'd be useless for anything.

Sleeping in wasn't an option, not in an empty bed. I didn't waste any time in the shower because it reminded me of her now. Breakfast was a boring affair, just a bowl of cereal in an empty kitchen.

At first I went to my office, thinking I might be able to bury myself in work. I had almost convinced myself it was working until Bella texted that she'd arrived in Forks, and I realized I'd made next to no progress during the three hours she'd been gone.

The afternoon went much the same way. I made myself lunch. I ran the dishwasher even though Carmen would just wash them by hand tomorrow. I tried to read some reports and got stuck on the same paragraph for half an hour. I reached for my phone at least two dozen times to text Bella, but I always made myself stop before I hit 'send.' I was desperate for any kind of assurance that she would come back – a simple, "I miss you" would have set my world to right, but that was a naive notion. What reason would she have to miss the man that was paying her to be his girlfriend?

By six o'clock, Bella hadn't yet sent a text that she was returning. By seven, I was texting her, and then pacing the living room when she didn't respond. I had a feeling I was in for a long night.

* * *

"So, Bella, how's that new job of yours going?" Charlie asked me over dinner. "What does a personal assistant do, anyway?"

"Um, a little bit of everything. You know, errands, getting lunch, whatever," I lied vaguely. "It's good, although..."

"What?" Charlie asked, his mustache tilting downward in concern.

"Well...I think my boss actually needs me more on the weekends because he does a lot of work at home. He has an assistant at the office during the week, but just me on the weekend...so I was thinking I might visit you during the week instead. If that would be okay."

"Of course that's okay," Charlie said. He looked sheepish. "To be honest, the boys from the station are always asking me to go fishing on Sundays."

I laughed, relieved. "Okay, then. I'll pick a different day to come."

"You know, Bella...as much as I miss having you around, you don't _have_ to visit every week. That's a lot of miles to be driving, and I'm sure you have other things to do with your time off."

He was staring at the tabletop, and I felt tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. "Dad, I want to visit."

Charlie nodded and cleared his throat, a signal that the emotional conversation was over. We finished dinner and I cleaned up. Afterward I reminded Charlie that he would need to get his whites out of the dryer soon and gave him instructions on reheating the meals I'd brought with me – he didn't appreciate the lecture about foil in the microwave, but I'd learned from experience.

By that time the sun was starting to set, and I knew I needed to get on the road. I gave Charlie one last hug goodbye and left Forks.

About an hour into my drive, I heard my phone chime with a text message alert, and I winced. Only Edward could be messaging me right now, and I realized then that I'd forgotten to tell him I was on my way home. Years of being a cop's daughter had taught me not to touch my phone while I was behind the wheel, though, and there wasn't really anywhere to pull over. It would be fine, I reasoned. I'd be home soon and Edward would see I was safe and sound.

When I pulled up to the house two hours later, only the living room light was still on. I felt a pang of disappointment, wondering if Edward had already gone up to bed without me and merely left the light on for me. As I tiptoed inside, however, I saw a familiar form sprawled on the couch. His head was on a pillow against the arm of the sofa and his laptop sat open on his stomach. It had sat abandoned long enough to hibernate, and Edward's face was relaxed in sleep.

I approached him quietly, unwilling to wake him when I so rarely saw him in slumber. He was always the first one awake in the morning and the last to go to bed.

I moved the laptop onto the coffee table and then reached to run my fingers through his tousled hair. He sighed and stirred at my touch, but his eyes didn't open until I ran my thumb along his jaw.

His long lashes fluttered and then his deep green eyes looked up to me. "Bella?"

"Hi," I said lamely, dropping my hand.

His eyes narrowed. "You didn't text. I was worried sick."

"I'm sorry. I forgot, and by the time I realized, I was already driving."

"I'm just glad you made it back," he said, pushing himself into a sitting position. "How was your father?"

"He was good. Seems like he's taking care of himself. I, uh, talked to him about visiting during the week instead."

"You did?" I couldn't read his expression.

"Yeah. I mean, he's retired, so it doesn't really matter, and it seems silly for me to be gone on one of the two days you're not working."

Edward smiled then, an expression so happy that my heart skipped a beat. "You didn't have to do that for me...but I did miss you today," he said softly.

If my heart had skipped before, it now sped to double-time. "I missed you, too."


End file.
